|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook user, Ivan Jaw, claimed that the Government of Sierra Leone gave $52,000 to Nigerian TikTok influencer Jarvis to train young TikTokers in the country.
Verdict: False. Checks by DUBAWA indicate that the TikTok user was invited by a group called Gbamgbaode Festival, not the government. The Director of Communications at State House, Myk Berewa, also denied the claim.
Full Text
Recently, much talk has been online about a Nigerian TikTok influencer named Jadrolita, popularly known as Jarvis, visiting Sierra Leone. According to online posts, she was invited to the country to engage with young Sierra Leonean TikTokers through a school tour and a masterclass. Her visit was said to be focused on teaching content creation and encouraging young people to use social media positively.
However, a Facebook user named Ivan Jaw posted, alleging that the Government of Sierra Leone paid Jarvis $52,000 for this visit and the activities she was expected to do. The post quickly went viral and sparked debates across social media platforms. Some Sierra Leonean TikTok users, especially local talents, were not pleased. They questioned why such a large amount of money would be given to a foreign TikTok user when some Sierra Leonean influencers have even more followers than Jarvis.
The claim led to confusion and anger among social media users, who believed the government should have used that money to support local talents. Many called for the government to explain whether the claim was true or false.
Because the claim could mislead people and cause distrust, DUBAWA decided to investigate the truth behind the story.
Verification
DUBAWA contacted the Director of Communications at State House, Myk Berewa, to determine whether the claim was true. He strongly denied the allegation. He said the Government of Sierra Leone did not pay Jarvis $52,000. He made it clear that the government did not even invite Jarvis to Sierra Leone in the first place.
Berewa advised the public to be careful with the information they consume and share on social media. He said many people post false claims to get likes, shares, and attention. He also reminded the public that not everything they see or hear on social media is true, and it’s important to verify such stories before believing or spreading them.
DUBAWA also did a further investigation and got hold of information from Myk Berewa in an interview with HKN ONLINE TV that the Gbamgbaode Festival was the one that organised the visit of Jarvis to Sierra Leone. This was also confirmed by the CEO of Gbamgbaod Festival, Lahai Henry, aka Doke, in an interview with AYV News. He clarified that they brought Jarvis to Sierra Leone as part of their corporate social responsibility to engage young Sierra Leonean TikTokers. The CEO also said they didn’t pay Jarvis $52,000. He added that it was done in partnership with some other organisations.
DUBAWA also tried to contact Ivan Jaw, the Facebook user who made the original claim, and asked him to provide evidence to back up his post. However, he did not respond or show any proof to support his statement.
Conclusion
After speaking with the Director of Communications and finding no evidence from the source of the claim, DUBAWA concludes that the story is false. There is no proof that the Government of Sierra Leone paid Jarvis $52,000.
