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The Nigerian political landscape in 2023 has been marked by controversies, particularly due to the power transitions occurring at both the state and federal levels. Alongside these political shifts, there has been a notable surge in the dissemination of false information, even at the hands of politicians.
In this piece, DUBAWA highlights seven fact-checks that showed instances where Nigerian public figures propagated false information in 2023.
- Buhari’s farewell speech
On May 29, 2023, Muhammadu Buhari concluded his presidential tenure, passing the baton to the current president, Bola Tinubu. In his farewell address, Mr Buhari asserted that his administration had enhanced the economic prospects of impoverished and rural Nigerians.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that 63% of Nigeria’s population, approximately 133 million, is experiencing multidimensional poverty. This is more prevalent in rural areas, affecting 72% of the people, compared to 42% in urban areas. The report also indicated that 40.1% of the population falls below the national monetary poverty line.
Additionally, data from the World Poverty Clock showed that around 71.2 million Nigerians, out of an estimated 220.4 million, are in extreme poverty, with higher rates in rural areas (53%) than in urban areas (9%).
All these accessible records, however, contradicted Mr Buhari’s claim. Read more details here.
- Jonathan’s off-cycle election data
After the former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, participated in the Bayelsa State election, he claimed that seven Nigerian states conducted off-cycle elections.
On the contrary, we found that eight states in Nigeria adhere to an off-cycle election. The states include Anambra, Ondo, Edo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Osun, Ekiti, and Imo. Our findings proved Mr Jonathan’s claim to be false. Read here.
- Peter Obi’s claim at Chatham House
On 16 January 2023, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, presented his governance plans for Nigeria at Chatham House in the United Kingdom (UK) ahead of the presidential election.
During his presentation, he asserted that, aside from Venezuela, Nigeria is the only Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nation failing to meet its quota.
The data obtained from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), however, revealed that, between Sept. and Dec. 2022, not a single member nation managed to meet its production quota. This contradicted Mr Obi’s statement, making his assertion inaccurate.
- Uzodinma’s assertion on Imo State internally-generated revenue
In the recent off-cycle election held in Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodinma claimed that the state’s internally generated revenue was less than N500 million when he assumed office in 2020.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Imo state recorded an internally generated revenue of N16.095 billion in 2019, averaging N1.34 billion monthly. During the last quarter of 2019 (Oct. to Dec.), the state generated N2.99 billion, averaging N996.67 million. From Jan. to March 2020, the revenue amounted to N3.08 billion, averaging N1.03 billion monthly.
Each of these data invalidated his claim. Explore more details here.
- Dino Melaye’s statement on the longest marine cruise
During a Channels Television program leading up to the Kogi State off-cycle election, Dino Melaye, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), asserted that the world’s longest marine cruise is Miami’s four-hour and 15-minute cruise. He also estimated that a cruise from Lokoja to Onitsha would be around eight hours.
DUBAWA’s keyword search on Google revealed a 7-hour marine cruise in Lagos, Portugal, surpassing Miami’s 4-hour cruise. In Jan. 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a 51-day, 3,200km voyage from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Dibrugarh, Assam, India. Additionally, Royal Caribbean announced the ‘Ultimate World Cruise,’ a 274-night journey covering 50+ destinations in 65 countries on all seven continents from Dec. 2023 to Sept. 2024.
These findings debunked Mr Melaye’s claim. More details here.
- Kwankwaso’s figures on Nigeria’s oil production
Before the Nigerian presidential election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, spoke at Daily Trust’s annual dialogue, outlining his blueprint and governance plans if elected.
During the event, he asserted that Nigeria produces less than one million barrels of crude oil daily. However, this statement was found to be inaccurate.
The data obtained from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) showed that from Oct. to Dec. 2022, Nigeria’s oil output was above one million barrels daily.
In October, Nigeria produced an average of 1.014 million barrels daily, which rose to 1.1 million barrels per day in November. In Dec., the country increased its daily output to 1.2 million barrels. For more details, read here.
- Saraki’s statement on Nigeria’s inflation status during PDP’s administration
In Jan. 2023, during a television interview, Bukola Saraki stated that Nigeria’s inflation rate stayed at a single digit under the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) administration.
Contrarily, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Dec. 2022 report contradicted this assertion, indicating that the nation’s inflation rate fluctuated between single and double digits under the PDP’s administration. Read full details here.
