A Facebook page posted a picture of the President, Muhammadu Buhari with the caption “Buhari was in and also watched his live broadcast to the nation on Monday 27th April 2020”.
We surmise this was satirical; notwithstanding, it is misleading. A reverse image search attributes the photo in question to at least two posts in 2017, making the argument pointless.
Full text
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the President of Nigeria, Mohammadu Buhari, has been intermittently addressing Nigerians on the ways to combat the spread of the virus; an example of this was the live broadcast televised on Monday 27th of April 2020.
Shortly after the broadcast, this surfaced:
Verification
A Google reverse image reveals that the same picture has been used several times and as far back as 2017 but in a different context. One of which was a post by PM News with a headline” Buhari enjoying his vacation in the UK”.
Another is a post by tori.ng which says “So Hilarious! Nigerians React to Photo of Buhari Watching Channels TV in London.”
A possible satirical post
President Buhari on Monday, April 27, addressed Nigerians on the relaxation of the lockdown placed on three states of the federation. Whether or not the broadcast was live or pre-recorded cannot be technically proven. Still, the insinuation of the post in suggesting he watched his TV-appearance like the rest of us seems improbable.
Furthermore, judging from the numerous appearances of this same image with different captions, we can say it was doctored. And while the doctored image was amusing to some, others found it embarrassing as they questioned the illogicality of such a claim.
In truth, it contradicts common sense to suggest that the president or anyone else can be live on-air and simultaneously watch their broadcast; nonetheless, the president’s image does not reflect him watching his transmission.
Hence, Dubawa implores the public to disregard this content; not only is it inaccurate but also deliberately misleading.
