Photo source: DUBAWA.
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Several issues circulated on social media this week, from football clubs and political figures to unemployment claims and AI-generated videos.
Below is a summary of the top claims we verified in the last week.
- Manchester City’s alleged job announcement
A social media user claimed that Manchester City football club had opened job opportunities for homeless people to clean the stadium after weekend matches. According to the user, this included hourly pay, food, and drinks. The post also included images of people cleaning a stadium and a Manchester City official, making it look official.
We contacted the claimants to directly request evidence. But he eventually admitted that there was no official announcement from the club and that the notice was based on past general initiatives rather than a new program.
Read what he said here.
- Uba Sani held political rally after Kaduna church abductions
Following the abduction of over 100 Christians in Kaduna State, a video circulated on X and Facebook claiming that Governor Uba Sani held a political rally a week later. This angered other users, who called the governor “heartless.”
We conducted a keyframe analysis and a reverse image search, which led to the earliest version of the footage on Facebook. While we confirmed the video was recent and authentic, it showed residents of Makarfi Local Government Area welcoming the governor during the commissioning of a newly constructed asphalt road linking Durum to Kuruntumawa. It had nothing to do with a political rally.
Click here for the full verification.
- Video of bandits heading South-East
We also verified a Facebook video claiming to show bandits preparing to invade the South-Eastern region of Nigeria. The footage showed trucks carrying armed men, some mounted with guns, and was accompanied by text stating, “Bandits preparing to enter southeast.”
We found this claim to be false. Using reverse image search and keyframe analysis, DUBAWA traced the video to Sudan, specifically the Darfur and Kordofan regions, where clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been ongoing since 2023. Check how we drew our conclusions here.
- Video of Abia’s rehabilitated bus terminal
An X video claimed to show a newly rehabilitated bus terminal in Abia State, with users praising Governor Alex Otti for revamping the facility. The clip depicted a step-by-step transformation of the once-dilapidated terminal into a modern transport hub.
First, we found that no facility named “Terminal Bus Antar Kota” exists in Abia State. Residents confirmed the terminal does not exist, and ongoing construction at the Umuahia Central Bus Terminal differs from the one depicted in the video.
We then analysed the video using Google Reverse Image Search, Hive Moderation, and Zhuque AI. Results showed that the footage contains high levels of Artificial Intelligence (AI) properties. Inconsistencies in images, faceless figures, and unmanned vehicles further indicated the clip was AI-generated. Read more here.
- Nigeria’s unemployment rate dropped because of the government’s policies
After APC chieftain Biodun Ajiboye said on Channels TV that Nigeria’s unemployment rate had dropped from 33 per cent to about 4 per cent due to the policies of the current administration, some social media users shared snippets of the interview, implying that the decrease reflected government performance.
Our fact check, however, revealed that the claim is misleading. The apparent drop to 4.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2024 is due to a change in the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) ‘s methodology. Under this new method, anyone who worked at least one hour in a week is considered employed, while previously only those working 40 hours or more were counted.
Experts also noted that the change in calculation does not reflect a real improvement in Nigerians’ economic situation, as many still face unemployment and informal work without job security.
Read more on what the experts said here.
