{"id":27775,"date":"2026-02-18T11:13:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=27775"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:13:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:13:40","slug":"new-study-reveals-how-nigerias-former-minister-spread-falsehoods-misled-lawmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/new-study-reveals-how-nigerias-former-minister-spread-falsehoods-misled-lawmakers\/","title":{"rendered":"New study reveals how Nigeria\u2019s former minister spread falsehoods, misled lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new study has revealed how Nigeria\u2019s former Minister of Aviation and recent ambassadorial nominee, Femi Fani-Kayode, amplified a fictitious story that misled the Nigerian media and, in turn, the House of Representatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Titled, \u201c7,221 Refrigerated Human Penises\u201d: Examining Nigerian Media\u2019s Failure to Verify a Sensational, \u201cCredible\u201d Satirical Story, the study published<\/a> in the Journal of Media Ethics<\/em> was conducted by journalist-scholar Kemi Busari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study revealed that on April 13, 2021, at 4:42 p.m., the former minister of aviation tweeted<\/a> that a Nigerian ship had tried to smuggle thousands of mutilated human penises to China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study traced the source of Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet to a satirical website, World News Daily Report (WNDR), that specialises in publishing fictionalised satires and whose motto is \u201cwhere facts don\u2019t matter.\u201d The platform, run by two Canadians, Murray-Hall and Olivier Legault, has been involved in messy legal battles over the publication of misleading content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WNDR article, published March 19, 2021, from which Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet originates, purports that over 7000 penises of Nigerians were apprehended en route to China. The human organs were found in \u201c36 boxes labelled as plantains,\u201d and the penises were valued at \u201cmore than $1.15 billion,\u201d with each costing \u201caround $160,000 each on the black market.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It adds that the Chinese government confiscated the ship through an anonymous source and found that the officials arrested \u201cfour Nigerians, two Malians and two Cameronese (Cameroonians).\u201d The platform further attributed the seizure announcement to a certain Chinese Customs spokesperson, Li Wu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fani-Kayode misleads Nigerian media<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 13, Fani-Kayode tweeted about the confiscation of Nigerian penises in China, linking such occurrences to terrorism. He tweeted<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA ship from Nigeria has been impounded in China whilst trying to smuggle in 7,200 penises. Hundreds of thousands of Nigerian penises are smuggled into China every year. Nigeria is the world\u2019s largest exporter of penises & this is why kidnapping & ritual killings are rife here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do the Chinese do with these penises & why are they obsessed with Nigerian ones in particular? This is not a joke but a serious question. The Chinese should leave our penises alone & those that procure them for them in Nigeria should be regarded as terrorists & eliminated,\u201d Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet cited in the research reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Fani-Kayode did not attribute any source, details of his tweet were directly lifted from the WNDR\u2019s story, the study notes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the tweet, at least 29 Nigerian media outlets, including blogs and content aggregators, reproduced the fictitious story, citing Fani-Kayode as their authoritative source, the study notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFani-Kayode\u2019s X account had over 1 million followers as of the time of posting the \u2018penis\u2019 tweet,\u201d the research states, \u201cthe tweet quickly went viral and appears to have played a pivotal role in bringing the story to the attention of Nigerian media outlets, many of which may not have encountered the original WNDR article.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former minister\u2019s tweet also had a ripple effect, sparking a national conversation and eventually reaching the Nigerian House of Representatives, which considered a motion on the purported export of human penises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a motion, the House of Representatives mandated its Committees on Human Rights, National Security, and Intelligence to investigate the issue for further legislative action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study noted that despite fact-checkers debunking the report<\/a>, Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet remains visible on his platform as of October 6, 2025. PREMIUM TIMES confirmed the tweet was still available on Fani-Kayode\u2019s Twitter handle as of February 17, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A screenshot of Femi Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet as of Feb. 17, 2026. Photo credit: PREMIUM TIMES.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

PREMIUM TIMES contacted the lawmaker for comments on the study’s findings. We called him, sent an email, and texted him, but as of the time of this publication, he has not yet responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media responsibility and the misuse of satire<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study also addresses the implications of the satirical article\u2019s spread from a satire website to blogs and eventually into political debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It places responsibility on Nigerian media organisations that failed to verify the information before publication and even repeated it during coverage of parliamentary proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe widespread failure of Nigerian media outlets to attribute the original story or their follow-up reports also highlights the need for greater attention to attribution practices and the prevention of plagiarism,\u201d the study notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researcher further raises concerns about the growing practice of disguising false information as satire to generate clicks, warning that it strains audiences\u2019 media literacy, complicates fact-checking efforts and calls into question satire\u2019s status as protected speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of the intention of the publisher, satirical content has the potential of being mistaken as authentic news and can lead to real-world consequences, as shown in the reaction of the Nigerian Parliament in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe finding highlights the need to reconsider the place of satire as protected speech, particularly given that falsehoods are knowingly shared under its guise and the audience\u2019s growing inability to differentiate satire from real news,\u201d the study reads in part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> The study was first published<\/a> by PREMIUM TIMES.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new study has revealed how Nigeria\u2019s former Minister of Aviation and recent ambassadorial nominee, Femi Fani-Kayode, amplified a fictitious story that misled the Nigerian media and, in turn, the House of Representatives. Titled, \u201c7,221 Refrigerated Human Penises\u201d: Examining Nigerian Media\u2019s Failure to Verify a Sensational, \u201cCredible\u201d Satirical Story, the study published in the Journal of Media Ethics was conducted by journalist-scholar Kemi Busari. The study revealed that on April 13, 2021, at 4:42 p.m., the former minister of aviation tweeted that a Nigerian ship had tried to smuggle thousands of mutilated human penises to China. The study traced the source of Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet to a satirical website, World News Daily Report (WNDR), that specialises in publishing fictionalised satires and whose motto is \u201cwhere facts don\u2019t matter.\u201d The platform, run by two Canadians, Murray-Hall and Olivier Legault, has been involved in messy legal battles over the publication of misleading content. The WNDR article, published March 19, 2021, from which Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet originates, purports that over 7000 penises of Nigerians were apprehended en route to China. The human organs were found in \u201c36 boxes labelled as plantains,\u201d and the penises were valued at \u201cmore than $1.15 billion,\u201d with each costing \u201caround $160,000 each on the black market.\u201d  It adds that the Chinese government confiscated the ship through an anonymous source and found that the officials arrested \u201cfour Nigerians, two Malians and two Cameronese (Cameroonians).\u201d The platform further attributed the seizure announcement to a certain Chinese Customs spokesperson, Li Wu. Fani-Kayode misleads Nigerian media On April 13, Fani-Kayode tweeted about the confiscation of Nigerian penises in China, linking such occurrences to terrorism. He tweeted:  \u201cA ship from Nigeria has been impounded in China whilst trying to smuggle in 7,200 penises. Hundreds of thousands of Nigerian penises are smuggled into China every year. Nigeria is the world\u2019s largest exporter of penises & this is why kidnapping & ritual killings are rife here.  \u201cWhat do the Chinese do with these penises & why are they obsessed with Nigerian ones in particular? This is not a joke but a serious question. The Chinese should leave our penises alone & those that procure them for them in Nigeria should be regarded as terrorists & eliminated,\u201d Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet cited in the research reads. Although Fani-Kayode did not attribute any source, details of his tweet were directly lifted from the WNDR\u2019s story, the study notes.  Following the tweet, at least 29 Nigerian media outlets, including blogs and content aggregators, reproduced the fictitious story, citing Fani-Kayode as their authoritative source, the study notes. \u201cFani-Kayode\u2019s X account had over 1 million followers as of the time of posting the \u2018penis\u2019 tweet,\u201d the research states, \u201cthe tweet quickly went viral and appears to have played a pivotal role in bringing the story to the attention of Nigerian media outlets, many of which may not have encountered the original WNDR article.\u201d The former minister\u2019s tweet also had a ripple effect, sparking a national conversation and eventually reaching the Nigerian House of Representatives, which considered a motion on the purported export of human penises. Following a motion, the House of Representatives mandated its Committees on Human Rights, National Security, and Intelligence to investigate the issue for further legislative action. The study noted that despite fact-checkers debunking the report, Fani-Kayode\u2019s tweet remains visible on his platform as of October 6, 2025. PREMIUM TIMES confirmed the tweet was still available on Fani-Kayode\u2019s Twitter handle as of February 17, 2026. PREMIUM TIMES contacted the lawmaker for comments on the study’s findings. We called him, sent an email, and texted him, but as of the time of this publication, he has not yet responded. Media responsibility and the misuse of satire The study also addresses the implications of the satirical article\u2019s spread from a satire website to blogs and eventually into political debate. It places responsibility on Nigerian media organisations that failed to verify the information before publication and even repeated it during coverage of parliamentary proceedings. \u201cThe widespread failure of Nigerian media outlets to attribute the original story or their follow-up reports also highlights the need for greater attention to attribution practices and the prevention of plagiarism,\u201d the study notes. The researcher further raises concerns about the growing practice of disguising false information as satire to generate clicks, warning that it strains audiences\u2019 media literacy, complicates fact-checking efforts and calls into question satire\u2019s status as protected speech. \u201cRegardless of the intention of the publisher, satirical content has the potential of being mistaken as authentic news and can lead to real-world consequences, as shown in the reaction of the Nigerian Parliament in this case. \u201cThe finding highlights the need to reconsider the place of satire as protected speech, particularly given that falsehoods are knowingly shared under its guise and the audience\u2019s growing inability to differentiate satire from real news,\u201d the study reads in part. Editor\u2019s note: The study was first published by PREMIUM TIMES.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":27777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1688,1571,3812,3815],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[3688],"class_list":["post-27775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-homepage"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-7dZ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":3688,"user_id":131,"is_guest":0,"slug":"simbiat","display_name":"Simbiat Bakare","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb274e26ec2438c1ffa80c743780ac9034a44b76786647c5d47675222fdb1c63?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"Bakare","first_name":"Simbiat","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-36.png?fit=720%2C515&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27778,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27775\/revisions\/27778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27775"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=27775"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=27775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}