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Claim: X and Facebook users shared a video depicting how the federal government distributed bags of rice to protesters to stop them from further protests.
Verdict: DUBAWA’s findings show that the footage was taken during an Aliko Dangote Foundation-led distribution programme in April 2024. It is misleading and unrelated to the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Full Text
After days of demonstrations, the #EndBadGovernanceProtest appears to have started losing momentum, especially in Southwest Nigeria. Recently, a 26-second video circulated on Facebook in which X showed women carrying bags of rice. Users have claimed the food was distributed to Nigerians by the federal government so that they could stop protesting.
The video’s caption reads, “Nigerian protesters who stormed the streets of Nigeria to protest over the high cost of living received bags of rice from the government and asked to go home and not to protest again.”
The clip has since gone viral on Facebook and X, gathering thousands of views, likes and reposts, as evidenced here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
DUBAWA has debunked several photos and videos shared on social media since the protest commenced on Aug. 1, 2024. Given its virality and potential for misinformation, we decided to fact-check this claim.
Verification
DUBAWA scoured credible media reports to see if there was any report of the Nigerian government donating rice to its citizens since the protest started, but we found none.
We took screen grabs from the footage and carried out a reverse image search. This led to an April 17, 2024, X post in which @kunmydrey, a user, accused the Yoruba people of bigotry.
He shared three videos (including the circulating one) showing a crowd of women praising and praying for an unnamed benefactor as they matched with 10kg of rice on their heads.
We then conducted keyword searches, which led to a report confirming that the video emanated from a flag-off ceremony for the Aliko Dangote Foundation’s donation of 10kg rice bags to Nigerians.
In fulfilling his contribution towards alleviating food insecurity exacerbated by the country’s economic overhaul, the nonprofit organisation shared N120,000 and N80,000 bags of rice in Kano and Lagos, respectively.
This development was also reported by newspapers like Premium Times, Punch, Blueprint, and Nairametrics.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings revealed that the video is unconnected to the #EndBadGovernance protests. The claim is misleading.
