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At the beginning of March, DUBAWA encountered claims cut across different sectors including politics, sports, religion, and economy.
Below are some of the claims we fact-checked;
- Salah signs new contract with Liverpool
A Facebook user, Arne Slot Fans, claims Mohamed Salah, highly anticipated to win the domestic league title and still in contention for the Champions League Cup, has renewed his contract with Liverpool.
However, DUBAWA found no credible news outlet reported the alleged development.
In January 2025, Sky Sports reported that Al Hilal is interested in signing the 32-year-old to replace Neymar Jr., who mutually terminated with employment with the Saudi Pro League side. Still, DUBAWA discovered that much of that remains uncertain.
On March 2, 2025, Yahoo Sports quoted the French football programme Telefoot, stating that Salah “wishes to remain at Liverpool” beyond the rest of his four-month contract, but both parties have not officially agreed.
Read more here.
- Is Nigeria’s power sector fully privatised?
The DUBAWA chatbot was contacted to determine if Nigeria’s power sector is fully privatised.
DUBAWA’s findings revealed that on Sept. 30, 2013, the Nigerian government presented certificates and legal papers to the new owners of 15 state-owned power generation and distribution companies under the privatisation scheme.
While private owners are permitted to generate and distribute electricity, the government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), regulates the electricity market and tariffs. Furthermore, another government agency, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has the sole authority to transmit electricity nationwide.
More details here.
- IBB commended Buhari for recognising Abiola as head of state.
A former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, via X, allegedly commended former president Muhammadu Buhari for recognising late politician Moshood Abiola as head of state and appreciated Nigerians for allowing him to conduct a free and fair election.
DUBAWA carried out a keyword search about the development and discovered the former military leader appreciated Buhari’s administration for posthumously recognising Abiola as the June 12, 1993 election winner. However, the commendation was made via his recently launched book, “A Journey In Service,” and not through social media.
DUBAWA also discovered that the X account that wrote the post is a parody and did not come from Babangida. Recall in 2024, Babangida publicly clarified that he does not own any social media handle and asked the public to be wary of any social media account posing as him.
More details here.
- Pope Francis is dead
A Facebook user claimed Pope Francis has passed on.
However, credible news outlets that have monitored the supreme catholic leader’s health condition, such as the National Catholic Reporter, reported that the Pope is recovering with no signs of infection. This was after he had battled a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis.
On Mar. 2, 2025, the Vatican News informed that the Pope’s condition is stable and that he has been taken off the ventilator.
Moreover, DUBAWA discovered that the collage photos shared with the Facebook post were Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated.
Read more here.
- Relocating to Finland for study costs only $900
Amidst the unending exodus of Nigerians to other countries in search of better living standards, an X user claims that moving to Finland to study costs only $900.
However, migration outlets, such as Study in Finland, inform that a master’s tuition fee varies by university and programme and ranges from €8,000 to €20,000 per annum.
The Finnish Immigration Service also says that if your studies take a year or more, you must have €9600 in your bank account while applying as an international student. If your course of study takes less than a year, you must have €800 per month at your disposal.
Read more here.
