Image of Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Photo Source: Premium Times
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Claim: A Facebook user shared a video showing Lagos State residents jostling for loaves of bread.
Verdict: Misleading. The video was recorded during the distribution of palliatives to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary in Lagos State in October 2024, and not a recent distribution as claimed.
Full Text
Over the years, Nigerian politicians have been in the habit of distributing palliatives to citizens as part of their campaign strategy to attract voters in the lead-up to election periods.
Recently, a Facebook user, “Noonooagu,” shared a video (archived here) showing a large crowd, allegedly Lagosians, struggling for bread amid worsening economic hardship in Nigeria.
The one-minute, six-second video was captioned, “This video shocked me: Giant Of Africa In This State. Nigerians lining up in Lagos State to collect a loaf of bread as economic hardship worsens.”
Similar videos were shared on Facebook (here, here, and here) and on X (here and here).
As of Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, the video had generated over 120 likes, 116 comments, 86 reposts, and five bookmarks.
Users who commented on the post believed the video to be recent, linking it to the 2027 election.
Solomon Aloke said, “This head is not ordinary; anybody who collects or eats this will surely vote for APC.”
“Get your voter’s card ready for 2027,” Obinna Benjamin advocated.
Peter Adebayo stated, “APC bread for the 2027 election, distributors and collectors are goats.”
The need to ensure a disinformation-free space ahead of the 2027 general elections led DUBAWA to conduct a fact-check.
Verification
DUBAWA took screenshots of the video clip and conducted a Google Reverse Image Search. We found a similar video shared by Sahara Reporters on Facebook in October 2024.
The post, which featured identical scenes from the video by the claimant, was captioned, “VIDEO: Nigerians Scramble For Free Bread From APC Chieftains In Lagos To Mark 64th Independence.”
Furthermore, we located the same video on Instagram and X in 2024.
Having established that the video was filmed in 2024, DUBAWA conducted a keyword search, which linked us to a publication by the Whistler on Oct. 4, 2024. The newspaper reported that the Lagos State Chairman of Labour Party, Dayo Ekong, condemned the video, tracing the situation to decades of poor governance, corruption, and a lack of accountability among politicians in the country.
In the same report, he further advocated for a transparent government that prioritises the people over personal gains.
Another publication by Metro Daily in 2024 reported that palliatives were distributed in Lagos State by individuals wearing customised T-shirts featuring images of President Bola Tinubu during Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary celebration.
Furthermore, we checked whether there were any recent mass bread distributions in Lagos State, but found no related posts or reports.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s research revealed that the video is from 2024 and it shows a palliative distribution that happened in Lagos State during Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary celebration. The claim is therefore misleading.
