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Old video used to amplify economic crisis, misleading

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Claim: An X user shared a video claiming an ongoing protest in Southwest Nigeria due to economic hardships under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

Old video used to amplify economic crisis, misleading

Full Text

Since the federal government removed fuel subsidies under the Tinubu administration, the country has faced hardship, resulting in severe economic conditions and a fluctuating local currency.

Meanwhile, economic hardship has led to protests among Nigerian citizens and even by the existing organised labour congress in the country.

Amidst all these, an X user, BUCOS (@TENIBEGILOJU202), posted a video of protesters visibly clamouring for the government to alleviate the country’s harsh economic situation.

“BREAKING!!! A MAJOR PROTEST ON “TINUBU MUST GO” HAS STARTED IN (THE) SW REGION!” The X user wrote on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

As of Thursday, May 16, 2024, the post has generated over 93,000 views, 1,316 likes, 850 reposts, and 81 quotes, and it has been bookmarked 86 times.

Some users lampooned the government’s ineffective leadership in the comment section, while others claimed the video was old.

“They shouldn’t disturb us, jor. Protest is haram. Jagaban needs time to fix Nigeria. Seven years won’t even be enough,” @real_daddyh wrote.

“This is (an) old video.” @Kollysteve197 asserted.

DUBAWA decided to verify the claim due to its high engagement and the potential impact on many citizens.

Verification

DUBAWA conducted a manual analysis of the video. We noticed that the protest date on each of the banners visible in the video is “February 19, 2024.” 

Old video used to amplify economic crisis, misleading

Screenshot of a scene in the X video

Old video used to amplify economic crisis, misleading

We then looked through news outlets to see if there had been any reports of protests on that day. 

In a Feb19, 2024, Premium Times news report, residents in Ibadan, Oyo State, were reported to have taken to the streets to protest the high prices of food and other commodities amidst an economic hardship.  

Punch reports a similar incident and adds that the protesters had gathered around the Mokola area, carrying placards that read “End food hike and inflation,” “The poor are starving,” etc.

DUBAWA looked for videos that captured scenes that corroborate the reports above.

We found a similar coverage posted on YouTube by Channels Television over two months ago, reporting that the incident was a public protest held in Ibadan against economic hardship. 

Old video used to amplify economic crisis, misleading

TrustTV News YouTube channel also reports a similar scenario in a video published on Feb. 19, 2024.

Conclusion

The claim is misleading. Our findings show that the video is not recent, contrary to the position of the X user, as it is a protest that happened in Ibadan in February.

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