False! Liberia’s Maurice Tosh did not win $1m from Lonestar

Claim: A Facebook user alleged that popular Liberian musician Maurice Tosh Gayflor, who goes by the stage name CIC, won $1 million US dollars from Lonestar Cell MTN for winning Artist of the Year and $7000 US dollars for winning Male Artist of the year.

Verdict: False! Checks by DUBAWA indicate that Liberian musician CIC did not receive $1 million for Artist of the Year, nor did he win the Male Artist of the Year category. 

Full Text

The MTN Liberia Music Award (MLMA) was established in 2009 to celebrate artists who continue to push boundaries and showcase Liberia’s rich musical diversity. The 2024 MLMA edition was held on December 14th at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, Monrovia, and presented awards in more than 20 categories.

These categories included Producer of the Year, Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Gospel Song of the Year, Gospel Artist of the Year, and Afropop Artist of the Year, etc.

Since the conclusion of the award ceremony, widespread claims have circulated on social media regarding the cash prizes and categories won at the 2024 MLMA. One such claim was made by a Facebook user, JNB, who posted on January 29, 2025, that:

“CIC just won $1 million United States dollars from Lonestar Cell MTN for winning Artist of the Year and $7000 United States dollars for winning Male Artist of the Year.” 

This information has garnered significant attention, with 682 reactions, 96 comments, and three shares as of Feb. 11, 2025.

Due to the widespread circulation of this claim, DUBAWA decided to investigate as part of its commitment to combating misinformation and disinformation.

Verification

Based on the nature of the claim, DUBAWA investigated two key aspects:

1. Did CIC win the categories mentioned by the claimant?
2. Are the amounts mentioned correct for the awards won?

DUBAWA first checked the list of all winners per category at the 2024 MLMA.

This check revealed that CIC did not win the Male Artist of the Year award, as speculated. Instead, he won five other award categories:

• Artist of the Year
• Song of the Year
• Afropop Artist of the Year
• Afropop Song of the Year
• Video of the Year

The Male Artist of the Year award was won by Jonathan Lee Pratt, popularly known as JZyNo.

Also, DUBAWA reviewed the official Facebook page of Lonestar Cell MTN, the official sponsor of the 2024 MLMA, to verify the actual cash prices awarded to CIC.

In a January 29 award post, Lonestar Cell MTN posted that CIC received:

• Song of the Year: $3,000 plus 100GB of data per month for a year
• Artist of the Year: $7,000 plus 100GB of data per month for a year

Conclusion

Social media claims that CIC won $1 million from Lonestar Cell MTN for Artist of the Year and $7,000 for Male Artist of the Year are false. Official records from the 2024 MLMA and statements from Lonestar Cell MTN confirm that CIC did not win the Male Artist of the Year award. The cash prizes awarded were $7,000 for Artist of the Year and $3,000 for Song of the Year, along with data bundles.