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Claim: An X user claims that the Federal Government has announced a N300 billion plan to expand Nigeria to two time zones.
Verdict: False. There is no concrete evidence from the presidency or news outlets that the Federal Government announced a N300 billion plan to expand Nigeria into two time zones. The special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also debunked the claim.
Full Text
On May 1, 2026, an X user, @Morris_Monye, speculated that Nigeria does not have a single time zone, as daybreaks earlier in the South East and North East than in Lagos. Thereafter, another X user claimed (archived here) that the Federal Government (FG) has announced a N300 billion plan to expand Nigeria into two time zones.
“BREAKING: The Federal Government has announced a N300 billion plan to expand Nigeria to two time zones,” The claimant wrote.
As of Monday, May 4, 2026, the post had generated 117,500 views, 36 comments, 53 retweets, 308 likes, and 57 bookmarks.
DUBAWA observed in the comment section that some found the alleged development ridiculous. Meanwhile, others opined that the claim was rather a joke than true.
“Instead of wasting our time on this bullshit, we should operate 9-5 instead of 8-4,” @Sulycoin bemoaned.
“And they need N300 billion to do that?” Mr_Eugenes queried.
“This can’t be real,” @nsemboo thought incredulously.
“This looks like a joke,” CZA_Razaki commented.
Due to the sensitivity of the tweet and the conflicting comments, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search and checked whether any credible news outlet had reported such, but found none.
We checked for public deals worth N300 billion that the FG announced.
On March 17, 2026, Daily Trust reported that the FG stated that N300 billion could be generated from land administration reforms of dormant land assets across the country to further expand housing and property in Nigeria.
On Feb. 6, 2026, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) reported how the FG designated N300 billion for the maintenance of Maitama 2 District infrastructure in its 2026 budget for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Back in 2025, Business Day reported how the FG was aiming to deepen Nigeria’s capital market and accelerate infrastructure development with the launch of a N300 billion Sukuk bond.
However, no public report has been released concerning the alleged announcement of a N300 billion fund to expand Nigeria into two time zones.
DUBAWA checked the official X handle of the Nigerian presidency to see whether any public announcement regarding the claim had been made, but we found none.
We contacted the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and he dismissed it as “fake news.”
Conclusion
The claim is false. There is no concrete evidence or announcement of a N300 billion plan to expand Nigeria into two time zones. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also debunked the claim.
