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Old video of Nigeria’s former president Obasanjo calling National Assembly ‘den of corruption’ resurfaces online

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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screenshot of the viral post

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A VIRAL video circulating on social media claims that former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo recently described the current National Assembly as the worst legislature in the world and a “den of corruption” occupied by “unarmed robbers.”

The video, which shows Obasanjo speaking at an event, was posted by an X user, @MondayCaroline, with the caption:

“The National Assembly we have today is worst than any in every part of the world. The National Assembly is a den of corruption by a gang of unarmed robbers.—former president Obasanjo”

The post has generated 4000 reposts and more than 7000 likes as of August 4, 2026, with many users interpreting the remarks as a recent assessment of the current National Assembly.

CLAIM

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently described the 10th National Assembly as “a den of corruption” occupied by “unarmed robbers.”

screenshot of the viral post

FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.

A keyword search conducted by The FactCheckHub traced the viral video to remarks made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on November 23, 2016, during the First Akintola Williams Annual Lecture in Lagos State, southwestern Nigeria. The comments were widely reported by several media organisations, including TheCable, shortly after the event.

The video currently circulating online was extracted from recordings of that lecture, where Obasanjo spoke extensively on governance, accountability and corruption in public institutions.

During his address, the former president launched a scathing attack on the National Assembly, arguing that lawmakers had become insulated from accountability and were enriching themselves at the expense of the public. He said:

“The national assembly cabal of today is worse than any cabal that anybody may find anywhere in our national governance system at any time. Members of the national assembly pay themselves allowances for staff and offices they do not have or maintain.

“Once you are a member, you are co-opted and your mouth is stuffed with rottenness and corruption that you cannot opt out as you go home with not less than N15 million a month for a senator and N10 million a month for a member of the House of Representatives. The National Assembly is a den of corruption by a gang of unarmed robbers.”

However, a review of the speech shows that Obasanjo was referring to the 8th National Assembly, which was facing public scrutiny over allegations of budget padding and other corruption-related controversies at the time. The legislature was then led by Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

Therefore, contrary to the impression created by the viral post, Obasanjo’s remarks were not directed at the current National Assembly but were made nearly a decade ago in reference to the legislature that existed in 2016.

VERDICT

The claim that former President Olusegun Obasanjo criticised the current National Assembly as “a den of corruption” occupied by “unarmed robbers” is MISLEADING. Checks by The FactCheckHub show that Obasanjo indeed made the remarks, but they were delivered on November 23, 2016, during the First Akintola Williams Annual Lecture in Lagos.

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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