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This week, we exposed the manipulation behind a viral video, debunked false assertions about political figures, and corrected migration-related misleading information. Here are some of the claims we fact-checked within the week at DUBAWA:
- Trump promise Tinubu’s re-election loss ahead of 2027 poll?
Nigeria’s 2027 general elections are approaching, and political parties are already preparing. Disinformation is expected to be a significant factor in the campaigns, with false claims likely to spread on social media.
One recent claim was that Donald Trump is interested in Nigeria’s upcoming election. At the time it was fact-checked, the post had 5,500 likes, 325 comments, 446 shares, and 25,000 views. DUBAWA verified the claim by checking reputable news sources and reviewing Trump’s public statements. Click here for more information.
- Video depicting Israelis’ migration to Nigeria, misconstrued
A Facebook user shared a video that supposedly showed how Israelis are moving to Nigeria. Our fact-check revealed that the claim was false. A reverse image search revealed the footage was from the Hellfest music festival in Clisson, France.
The video shows festival attendees, not refugees, and the scene’s details, like a tall red-and-black sign and white tents, match known photos and videos of the Hellfest campsite. International news sources have not reported any mass migration of Israelis to Nigeria, further confirming that the claim is fake. Hellfest is a large annual heavy metal music festival in France, known for attracting tens of thousands of fans. More details about our findings are here.
- Seychelles, not South Africa, has Africa’s strongest passport
Following Nigeria’s recent increase in passport fees, some social media posts claimed that South Africa’s passport is the most powerful in Africa and costs less. DUBAWA’s findings revealed that South Africa’s passport is not the most powerful, as Seychelles holds that title.
However, the investigation confirmed that a South African passport costs significantly less when converted to Nigerian naira, validating public concern about the high cost of Nigerian passports compared to the national minimum wage. While part of the claim about cost was accurate, the assertion that South Africa’s passport is the strongest is false.
- LinkedIn users’ claims about one-on-one meeting with Sam Altman, false
Several LinkedIn users, including Joshua Olaiya, claimed to have had a private Zoom call with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. They shared screenshots of these supposed one-on-one meetings to showcase their influence and discuss AI-related topics.
However, a reverse image search by DUBAWA revealed these images were taken from publicly available videos of Altman’s virtual conference appearances. The claims are part of a broader trend on LinkedIn where users fabricate or exaggerate professional achievements for attention.
While some of the creators later subtly hinted that the claims were false, they did not openly correct the misinformation, allowing the deception to continue. Read more about the trend here.
- Sanwoolu’s aide recirculates misleading video to implicate Peter Obi
Wale Ajetunmobi, a special adviser to the current Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, shared a short video showing Peter Obi boasting about pulling 439 million people out of poverty. This claim gained significant traction online.
DUBAWA’s verification, however, found that the video was manipulated. The original footage from a 2022 event shows Obi discussing how China and India used Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to lift millions out of poverty. The viral video was deceptively edited to change the word “and” to “I,” falsely attributing the achievement to him.
