IN recent months, Nigeria’s social media space has experienced a significant increase in disinformation and misinformation trends, sometimes leading to widespread public confusion and unrest.
Instances range from the circulation of outdated protest videos to the dissemination of misleading claims about government policies and activities.
This development underscores the urgent need for effective fact-checking to counter the proliferation of false information in public space. Below is a compilation of some notable cases recorded by The FactCheckHub this year:
Samoa Agreement
On June 28, 2024, the Nigerian government signed the $150 billion Samoa trade agreement with the European Union, which sparked widespread controversy after the disclosure by the minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
Public backlash erupted over claims that the agreement endorses LGBTQ rights on July 4 2024, contrary to Nigerian laws. However, an explainer on the agreement by The FactCheckHub revealed that the cited articles 2.5 and 29.5 contained no reference to LGBTQ provisions, highlighting the misleading nature of the allegations.
#EndBad Governance protests
During the EndBad Governance protests held from August 1 to 10, the social media space was flooded with a wave of misinformation and fake news, which significantly distorted information about Nigerians’ protest against hardship in the West African nation.
Among these were the rehashing of old videos from the 2020 EndSARS protests, falsely presented as recent events, and the circulation of protest scenes from other countries misrepresented as occurrences in Nigeria.
For instance, a seven-year-old protest video from Venezuela was widely shared online, misleadingly linked to the hunger protests in Nigeria to amplify the narrative. Notable public figures further fueled the misinformation by sharing unrelated or outdated images and videos, claiming they depicted the protests.
These instances underscore the critical role of fact-checking in combating the spread of false information during moments of social unrest as reported by The FactCheckHub.
Foreign currency press statement
In February, an old press release from the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) resurfaced, reportedly stating that the bank had planned to prosecute individuals involved in foreign currency transactions.
The release, shared by Daniel Bwala and other social media users, also gained traction through media reports, creating the impression that it was a recent directive.
However, a review of the CBN website revealed that the press release was originally issued on July 4, 2015.
₦70,000 minimum wage
In 2023, the Nigerian government proposed a new minimum wage as part of its agreement with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to end a national strike called by the workers union. But earlier in 2024, a scam falsely claimed that the Lagos State government had begun paying the new minimum wage of ₦70,000.
In April, a viral video of Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Eko Cares launch further fueled the misinformation, with claims that he announced the new minimum wage. However, the state’s commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, clarified that the governor made no such declaration.
When the minimum wage implementation began in July 2024, Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, falsely stated that all employers in Nigeria were required to pay the new minimum wage.
The FactCheckHub debunked this claim, citing Sections 3 and 4 of the National Minimum Wage Act 2019. While Section 3 mandates employers to pay at least the national minimum wage, Section 4 exempts businesses with fewer than 25 employees, as well as freelancers, part-time employees, and certain other categories.
Nigerian agencies scrapped
On April 19, 2024, footage of a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting was shared on X, by Dino Melaye and Instablog9ja with claims that the Nigerian government had scrapped agencies like FRCN, ICPC, and NCDC.
However media reports from February 27, 2024, confirmed that the FEC had approved implementing recommendations from the Steve Oronsaye panel to restructure and rationalize federal agencies through mergers, and the scrapping of some entities.
Findings revealed that the claim of mass agency scrapping was FALSE, according to the Oronsaye report, as only PTAD and NSSEC were slated for scrapping. Other agencies were to be merged or subsumed, as outlined by the federal government in its February announcement.
Old presidential broadcast rehashed by presidency
Following the widespread criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s nationwide broadcast on August 4, the official X accounts of the president and the Nigerian presidency shared an old video portraying him urging citizens to remain calm and patient.
This video was also reported by some media outlets, creating the impression that it was a statement linked to the August 4 broadcast.
However, a Google reverse image search of keyframes from the video revealed that the longer version was initially shared by the Nigerian presidency on July 31, 2023.
The text of the address was also published on the presidency’s official website the same day.
Old video of Yoruba nation protest reshared
In February, X users recirculated an old video of a Yoruba nation protest, falsely attributing it to recent demonstrations over the economic hardship in Nigeria. Arise News also aired the footage during its “What’s trending” segment on The Morning Show, stating that Yoruba nation activists protested in Ondo State, calling for secession amidst rising economic challenges.
However, a review of the videos and reports revealed that they were originally published in 2021.
Oyo State split into two
When the bill proposing the division of Oyo State into two was still being discussed at the House of Representatives, a popular Nigerian social media blogger, Tunde Ednut posted a clip of the plenary session with a clickbait headline that the state had already been split into two which was widely shared on Instagram, and WhatsApp and thus sparked debate among netizens.
However, media reports indicated that the bill to split Oyo State into two has not been assented to, as it had only passed second reading, and h forwarded to the committee on constitutional review.
Warehouse naira hoarding
In February, a video circulated on social media particularly on X which claimed to show bundles of newly printed naira notes hoarded in a warehouse in northern Nigeria. The footage depicted men in a warehouse filled with stacked boxes, sparking allegations of corruption and hoarding.
However, the video was a February 13, 2024, operation by the Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCAC) in Kano State and unrelated to currency hoarding.
Credible outlets like Arise News and TVC News reported that the operation targeted warehouses accused of hoarding food items, not currency. According to the reports, items discovered included millet, sugar, sorghum, flour, maize, and spaghetti. A closer review of the footage identified Golden Penny’s Mai Kwabo Spaghetti, a product of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, among the hoarded goods.
Maiduguri Flood
On September 9, 2024, the Alau Dam in Maiduguri collapsed which led to severe flooding in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, causing considerable humanitarian challenges.
Reports show that at least 37 people died, and more than 1 million residents were displaced throughout the region, as a result.
An X user had posted a video claiming that it shows dead bodies that were recovered from the flood. However, checks by The FactCheckHub indicated that the video showed trucks and tricycles conveying dead bodies after terrorists struck a community in Yobe State on September 1, 2024.
The Punch reported that gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents killed residents and set ablaze shops and houses in Mafa village in Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.
A Facebook user also shared an image of bundles of a legal tender while claiming that it was part of the items found and recovered from the Maiduguri flood.
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim was misleading as the incident happened in northern Sudan and was unrelated to flooding in Borno State.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org