President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Ba duka hotunan yakin neman zaben Tinubu a Katsina ne sabbi ba wasu daga 2019 ne

    Zargi: An wallafa wadansu hotuna a shafukan sada zumunta ana zargin wai yawan mutanen da suka halarci yakin neman zaben dan takrarar jam’iyyar APC, Bola Tinubu ke nan a jihar Katsina

    Hotunan tsoffi ne wadanda aka dauka a 2019 lokacin da Buhari kansa ya je Katsinar yana neman yin tazarce

    Cikakken bayani

    Ranar 25 ga watan Fabrairu ‘yan Najeriya za su kada kuri’ar da zai zabi sabon shugaban kasa. Mutane 18 suka yi rajista da hukumar zabe mai zaman kanta na INEC domin neman mukamin mafi mahimmanci a kasar.

    Gabannin wannan zabe da ake kosa ya zo, jam’iyyun siyasa da magoya bayansu na cigaba da yin iya kokarinsu wajen rinjayar jama’a su jefa musu kuri’a

    Abun ya ma zama babbar takara tsakanin jam’iyyun da magiya bayansu wadanda ke kokarin nuna jam’iyyar da ta fi tara mutane wanda shi ne tamkar ma’aunin yanayin karbuwar jam’iyyar ko ma dai dan takarar a wajen al’umma.

    Bacin hakan ba lallai ne ya kara yawan kuri’un dan takara ba, magoya bayan jam’iyyun suna ztuwa shafukan sada zumunta irin su Twitter domin su wallafa hotunan gangaminsu a jihohi daban-daban suna yabawa ‘yan takarar da suka tara jama’a su kuma yi dariya wa wadanda ba su tara jama’a sosai ba.

    Saboda irin tsananin damuwar da wasu magoya bayan suka yi da abin da mutane za su ce, wadansunsu sun fara wallafa hotunan da bidiyoyin da aka dauka a baya a sunan abubuwan da aka yi a shekarar 2023, wanda ke yawan yaudarar jama’a.

    Al misali,, wannan gangamin na APC wanda aka yi a jihar Katsine raar 6 ga watan Fabrairu.

    Dogo Shettima wanda shi ne mataimaki na musamman na Babagana Zulum, gwamnan jihar Borno, kwanan nan ya wallafa wadansu hotuna a shafin Twitter ya na cewa yadda yakin neman zaben APC ya kasance ke nan a Katshina. Wajen tsokacin ya ce Mr Tinubu ya tara jama’a sosai a Katsina saboda irin goyon bayan da ya ke da shi daga jama’ar Katsnia.

    “Abun da idanu na suka gani a Katsina baki na ba zai iya fada ba …..@officialBAT ya yi sa’ar samun Allad da @MBuhari a gefensa. Jihar Katsina ta bayar da tabbacin cewa @MBuhari nasu ne,” ya rubuta tare da hotunan da ke nuna shugaba Buhari cikin wata mota tare da magoya bayansa

    An sake wallafa wadannan hotunan a wadansu shafukan wadanda suka hada da  nan, nan da nan

    To sai dai bisa bayanan binciken DUBAWA Wadansu daga cikin hotunan tsofaffi ne

    Tantancewa

    DUBAWA ta fara da amfani da manhajar da ke tantance hotuna dan gano ainihin mafarin hotunan da ma sadda aka fara wallafa su a duniyar gizo-gizo.

    Sakamakon da aka samu daga google ya nuna cewa wasu daga cikin hotunan an dauke su ne a shekarar 2019 lokacin da Buhari ya je yakin neman zabe Katsina a watan Fabrairun 2019

    Bisa dukkan alamu, da gangar Mr Shettima ya hada hotunan da wadanda aka dauka a yakin neman zaben jam’iyyar a 2019 dan a yaudari wadansu wadanda ba su ji ba su gani ba. 

    Mai aiki da gwamnan bai dauki lokaci ya banbanta hotunan ba ya fayyace wa jama’a cewa wasu tsoffi ne a yayin da wasu kuma sabbi – wanda da zai fada wa jama’a gaskiyar abin da ke faruwa a cikin hotunan. 

    DUBAWA ta gano cewa ainihin hotunan sun kasance cikin wani rahoton da jaridar TheCable ta yi inda ta sa hotunan shugaban lokacin yana neman yin tazarce, kuma a cikin hoton yana tare da Aminu Masari, gwamnan jihar Katsinar. 

    A Karshe

    Wasu daga cikin hotunan yakin neman zaben Tinubu a Katsinan da aka wallafa a shekarar 2019 aka dauka lokacin da jam’iyyar ta APC ta je yakin neman zaba a katsina tare da shugaba Buhari.

  • Buhari’s figure on Nigeria’s vaccination rate inaccurate

    President Muhammadu Buhari said that 38.7 million, representing 35 per cent of total eligible Nigerians targeted for COVID-19 vaccination, have been fully vaccinated against the virus. 

    Data from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) showed the total number of Nigerians who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is over 45 million representing 40.3 per cent of the targeted population. 

    Full Text

    On October 17, 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari, at the last Ministerial Performance Review Retreat of his administration at Abuja, said 38.7 million Nigerians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 35 per cent of the total eligible population targeted for vaccination.

    This was contained in a statement issued by Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity. 

    Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, there have been concerns about safety and survival, particularly in developing African countries with little to no health facilities to deal with the pandemic. 

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) in April 2020 warned that Africa could become the next epicentre of the pandemic, noting that the outbreak might likely kill at least 300, 000 people in Africa and push nearly 30 million into poverty.

    According to data from Worldometers, as of October 18, 2022, there are about 630, 670, 164 diagnosed coronavirus cases worldwide, with 6,573,608 deaths. 

    Of this number, only 265,741 cases have been confirmed in Nigeria and 258, 993 cases have been discharged while 3,155 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Verification

    Nigeria had set a goal of vaccinating 40 per cent of its over 200 million population before the end of 2021, and 70 per cent by the end of 2022, following the WHO’s recommendation.

    Ahead of the vaccine rollout, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib, explained that the federal government planned to vaccinate all eligible population from 18 years and above, including pregnant women.

    However, Nigeria has so far failed to meet its set target. At the end of 2021 and as of August 2022, only 27.7 million eligible persons had been fully vaccinated.

    Further checks by DUBAWA on the NPHCDA website revealed that 45, 044, 523 Nigerians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of October 16, 2022. 

    This figure represents 40.3 per cent of the population as against the 35 per cent given by the president. 

    Also, the COVID-19 vaccination update on the website shows that 12, 734, 476 (11%) of the eligible population have been partially vaccinated against the virus. 

    Conclusion

    President Buhari’s assertion that 35 per cent of Nigeria’s eligible population had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is inaccurate. The correct figure is 40.3 per cent. 

  • Ignore false new report, Buhari did not sack CBN governor, Emefiele

    Claim: News report claims the president sacked the Central Bank governor.

    Our findings show President Muhammadu Buhari did not sack the Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele.

    Full Text

    Since information that Godwin Emefiele intends to run for president came into the public space, there have been calls for him to resign. Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari asked all appointed officers seeking political offices to resign

    Although the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor first denied his intention to run, he went ahead to ask a court to declare him eligible for the presidential ticket of any political party while serving as the governor.

    This was, however. recently withdrawn. Following this, a screenshot went viral on WhatsApp with the claim that the president had sacked the CBN governor. 

    This was shared on a WhatsApp user’s WhatsApp status with the caption “if this is true, then buhari did a very good job”. 

    The said screenshot has the headline “BREAKING NEWS; Buhari sacks CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele”. The screenshot has the byline “Opinion Nigeria” and it was shared on Wednesday May 25,2022. 

    Verification

    We first carried out a keyword search on the byline in the screenshot to find if the said report actually exists or the image was created. 

    We found the website opinionnigeria.com and the news story on the governor’s sack was shared 12 hours ago. The story which linked this sack to the president’s order that appointed officers should resign noted that the president cannot unilaterally sack the governor.

    Screenshot of opinion Nigeria news report.

    We however noticed that the story did not quote anybody or platform as its source. This is suspicious because an ideal news story always has and quotes a source.. 

    Having found that this screenshot was from an actual report, we needed to establish if the president actually sacked Mr Emefiele, so we conducted a keyword search on google. This led to fact-checks by Daily Trust, and BBC, and news reports by Punch, ripples Nigeria etc . debunking this. 

    We also found out that the Central Bank chief of Algeria, Rostom Fadli, was recently removed. This may have fueled the rumour in Nigeria. 

    A keyword search on Twitter led to a news report by The Nation, which debunked this claim quoting the CBN’s spokesman Osita Nwanisobi. 

    A look at the CBN’s website showed there was so far no release on the rumoured sack. The latest release on the website is on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 on a fire incident at its Makurdi branch. 

    Screenshot of CBN’s press release page on its website.

    Seeing that the bank’s spokesperson was quoted by the news reports debunking the claim, DUBAWA went ahead to send an enquiry email to the bank because it was too late to put a phone call across.

    Also, a look at the Twitter handle of the president’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, showed nothing of that nature. No press release or announcement about the governor’s rumoured sack.

    The state house website which publishes news on the presidency’s recent activities also did not have any news of the rumoured sack.

    Screenshot of state house website.

    Conclusion

    Our findings and news reports show that the claim that president Muhammadu Buhari sacked the CBN governor is false. 

  • Da Gaske Shugaba Buhari Ya Ce Bai San Da Yajin Aikin Malaman Jami’a Ba?

    Zargi: Hoton wani shafi da aka dauka na cewa wai shugaban Najeriya Muhammadu Buhari ya ce bai san da yajin aikin da malaman jami’a ko kuma kungiyar ASUU ke yi ba

    A bana, kungiyar malaman jami’a ta ASUU ta kaddamar da yajin aikinta ne a ranar 14 ga watan Fabrairun 2022 da sunan wai gargadi ga gwamnati, kuma a lokacin kungiyar ta ce yajin aikin na tsawon makonni hudu ne. Sai dai, daga nan ta kara wa’adin da watanni biyu don bai wa gwamnatin karin kwaniki na cimma bukatun da kungiyar ta gabatar mata.

    Mahimman bukatun sun hada da sake tattauna yarjeniyar da suka kulla da gwamnatin tarayya a shekarar 2009 da kuma yin amfani da tsarin UTAS wato bayyana gaskiya da rikon amana a jami’a wajen biyan albashin ma’aikatan.

    Ranar alhamis 5 ga watan Mayu 2022 aka fara yada hoton wadansu kalamai wadanda ake zargi na shugaba Buhari ne inda ya ke cewa wai shi bai ma san da batun yajin aikin ba. Wannan labarin an fara ganin shi a wani shafin da ake kira World of News wato duniyar labarai da turanci. A cewar rohoton, shugaban Najeriya ya yi bayani kamar haka 

    “Ban san cewa ASUU na yajin aikin ba, kuma ban san tun yaushe ta fara ba, ba wanda ya fada mun cewa kungiyar ASUU na yajin aiki,” a cewar Buhari.

    Tantancewa

    Da farko dai babu wata kafar yada labarai mai suna”World of News.” Da muka yi wa labarin binciken kwa-kwaf mun gano cewa babu sunan dan jaridan da ya wallafa labarin kamar yadda aka saba rubutawa a duk wani labari mai sahihanci. Sai dai a maimakon sunan an sanya wadansu lambobi da harrufa kamar haka: kqce4

    Binciken da muka yi ta yin amfani da mahimman kalmomi kuma bai nuna mana wani labarin da ke da dangantaka da wannan ba. Sai dai mun gano wadansu rahotannin da aka yi a jaridun The Guardian da Premium Times wadanda ke cewa ministan kwadago Chris Ngige ya fadawa shugaban kasa irin cigaba da kuma tattaunawar da su ke yi da wakilan kungiyar dangane da matakin yajin aikin malaman jami’a.

    Wannan ya nuna cewa shugaban kasar na sane da labarin yajin aikin duk da cewa bai tofa albarkacin bakin shi dangane da batun ba. Ko a jawabin da ya gabatar a bukin tunawa da ranar ma’aikata na dunyia wanda aka yi ranar daya ga watan Mayun 2022 inda mataimakinshi Yemi Osinbajo ya wakilce shi, ba’a ji komai dangane da yajin aikin ba.

    Haka nan kuma da mu ka yi nazarin hoton da aka yi amfani da shi wajen dora labarin mun gano cewa an gyara hoton ne ta yadda zai saje da irin labarin da ake so a bayar. Akwai inda wadansu rubutun suka hau kan wasu sa’annan kuma launukan da ke kan hoton sun nuna cewa an kwaskware abubuwa a jikin hoton.

    A karshe 

    Shugaba Muhammadu Buhari bai taba cewa bai san da maganan yajin aikin malaman jami’a ba domin bincikenmu ya nuna mana cewa babu wani labarin da ya fita dangane da wannan batun a duk kafafen yada labarai da ya karfafa wannan zargin. Bacin haka akwai rahotannin da aka yi a baya wadanda suka tabbatar da cewa shugaban na sane da yajin aikin kuma yana samun rahoton duk wata tattaunawa da aka yi da malaman.

  • Buhari did not approve ₦456 billion for ASUU to end strike as reported

    Claim: President Muhammadu Buhari has approved ₦456 billion for ASUU to end the ongoing strike.

    Although President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved the disbursement of 2022 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention funds, the released funds have nothing to do with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).  As such, the claim that the president has approved ₦456 billion for ASUU to end the strike is misleading.

    Full Text

    Recently, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) elongated it’s three-month old strike by another three months. The union had on February 14, 2022, embarked on a four-week warning strike which was later extended by two months.

    Among others, ASUU’s major demands from the government include: the renegotiation of its 2009 agreement with the federal government and the deployment of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for payment of its members’ salaries.

    However, just before the 12-week extension was announced, claims that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved ₦456 billion to ASUU began to circulate on major social media platforms.

    The claim reads:

    “Finally after 66 days long wait, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N456bn for ASUU with each institution to receive N4.6bn to finalise the 2009 agreement.

    More soon…”

    With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram users and Bloggers sharing this claim on the afternoon of May 8th, 2022, the information had reached many Nigerians in a few hours. And while a few users doubted its efficacy, many believed the claim and debated if it was the right move on the President’s part.

    For example, goldmynetv shared the announcement on Instagram, and within 24 hours, the account already gathered 7,462 likes and 745 comments.

    The claim as shared on Instagram

    Not only that, it was also shared by a Facebook account, supposedly belonging to a popular Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo. Within 20 hours, it already had 3.8k likes, 207 shares and 370 comments.

    The claim was also shared by a Facebook account, supposedly for Iyabo Ojo

    Reacting to Iyabo Ojo’s post, Alimi Abdullateef encouraged ASUU to maximize the funds.

    He wrote, “Are they ready to work before? Pls ASSU should not loot the money, They should use it to improve the system as promised,”

    Unlike Abdullateef, Momoh Celina doubted that the union would receive the funds. 

    She said: “Seeing it in practicals is believing. For now,  it’s approved, until it’s released, then we believe.”

    However, Onyemaobi Joshua Ebu’s comment countered others’. He alleged that the money is not for ASUU.

    “Money for TETFUND. Both for University, Poly and college of Edu,” he simply wrote.

    Verification

    DUBAWA first conducted a keyword search on Google regarding the claim and apparently found that no prominent newspaper has reported on the alleged announcement except Daily Times.

    The report, published by Daily Times newspaper

    Notably, it appeared as if the information was copied from Daily Times’ website as it is being circulated in the same format that it appears in the paper.  

    Conversely,  other newspapers like THE NATION reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the disbursement of the 2022 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention funds and not funds for ASUU.

    Sunday Echono, the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), disclosed on the 5th of May during  a meeting of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) at Abuja that ₦642,848,138 has been allocated to each university; ₦396,780,086 to polytechnics and ₦447,758,804 to each college of education for 2022.

    The Tertiary Education Trust Fund  (TETFund) was originally established and referred to as Education Trust Fund (ETF) by Act No 7 of 1993. It was then amended and replaced with the name –Tertiary Education Trust Fund in 2011.

    It is equipped to provide physical teaching and learning infrastructure; materials and equipment; research and publications; and academic staff training for all Nigeria public higher institutions.

    2022 TETFund not for ASUU

    TETFund is funded through the two percent education tax usually paid by companies that are registered in Nigeria. Every year, “the funds are disbursed for the general improvement of education in federal and state tertiary educations.”

    Furthermore, TETFund allocation papers are directly presented to heads of the beneficiary institutions and not for any association including ASUU.

    Furthermore, although infrastructure development is among the demands that ASUU has asked the federal government of Nigeria to meet, the federal government did not announce that this recent disbursement has something to do with the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement.

    Aside from that, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has made an apology to the union for not responding to their demands. The federal government has also promised to invite ASUU to a meeting. However, Emmanuel Osodeke, the national president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), said the union is yet to receive an invitation from the federal government. 

    Conclusion

    Although President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved the disbursement of 2022 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention funds, it was not to the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Funds from the agency are received directly by the three levels of tertiary institutions and not by a union.

  • Does President Buhari earn ₦30 million annually as claimed by this Twitter user?

    Claim: A Twitter user claims the annual salary of the Nigerian president is ₦30 million.

    Documents from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) show that the monthly salary of the Nigerian president is ₦1,171,568.20, totalling about ₦14,410,288.5 annually. Even if Mr Buhari’s earning as Minister of Petroleum is added, the sum is still not up to ₦30 million.

    Full Text

    On Wednesday April 20, 2022, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting where the price for nomination forms for various elective positions was announced. For the Presidency, the nomination form cost ₦70 million while the expression of interest form cost N30 million, totalling ₦100 million. 

    This high cost has continued to raise concerns and condemnations from Nigerians online and offline.

    One of the critics on the popular microblogging social media platform, Twitter, Ayobami(@dondekojo) in his tweet claimed the nomination form of the party is more than the president’s three years salary, insinuating the president earns ₦30 million in a year.

    Screenshot of the Twitter post. 

    This tweet which was shared on the same day the prices were announced had generated 3,215 likes and a total 1,822 retweets 24 hours later. 

    “The salary of the President is ₦30,000,000 annually. APC nomination form alone is more than 3 years salary for a 4-year tenure” the tweet read. 

    Under this tweet, Twitter users condemned the ruling party for the outrageous amount for its nomination form but a user, Style (@Olaitan_Ebby) in a bid to correct Ayobami said the figures given as the president’s salary is false.  

    “You goofed. The President’s salary is 14 million naira monthly and his vice is 12 miilion naira. So the President makes 168million million per annum thanks” the tweet read. 

    Another user FredMighty (@Donalldfrederic) in a bid to substantiate Ayobami’s claim tweeted: “Now who really goofed?”.

    He supported his claim with a screenshot from a popular website, Wikipedia.

    The conflicting figures and the need to put the right information out there prompted us to verify this. 

    Verification

    According to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the agency guiding the remuneration of public office holders is the  “certain political, public and judicial office holders (salaries and allowances, etc.) (Amendments) Act, 2008”

    According to information and documents obtained from the website of the RMAFC, the annual basic salary of the Nigerian President is ₦3,514,705. Addition of hardship and consistency allowance cost ₦1,757,350.50 and ₦8,786,762.50 respectively shot up the annual take home of the president to ₦14,058,820. Leave allowance is paid once annually and it costs ₦351,470.50; this makes the maximum annual earning of the President to be ₦14,410,288.5 according to RMAFC.

    Other allowances include motor vehicle fueling and maintenance, special assistant, personal assistant, domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, security, newspapers etc to be enjoyed by the President are listed as TBP (to be provided).

    Screenshot of the document. 

    DUBAWA reached out to the claimant to confirm if he was referring to the salary or salary with allowances but he failed to reply to messages.

    Seeing the monthly take home of the president excluding allowances is N292,892.08, then his basic annual earning would be ₦3,514,705 which is far below the ₦30 million given by the claimant. 

    Inclusion of annual hardship, consistency and leave allowances which cost ₦1,757,350.50, ₦8,786,762.50 and ₦351,470.50 respectively will increase the annual earning of the President to ₦14,410,288.5 which is also far below @dondekojo’s ₦30 million claim.

    Also, President Buhari serves as the Minister of Petroleum and according to the RMAFC, the monthly salary of a minister, including allowances, is ₦650,136.65. The annual basic salary of a Nigerian Minister is N2,026,400 while the allowances (excluding estacodes and duty tour allowance which is paid per night and furniture which is paid once in four years) cost the sum of ₦9,216,680. The allowances bring the total annual earning of the Minister of Petroleum to ₦11,243,080.

    Page showing Ministers’ salary

    When this is added to the earning of Mr Buhari’s ₦14,410,288.5 presidential earnings, it amounts to ₦25,653,368.5 which is below the ₦30 million claim made on Twitter.

    Conclusion 

    The claim that the Nigerian President earns ₦30 million annually is false. Information from the RMAFC, the agency responsible for determining the remuneration appropriate for political, public and judicial office holders, shows the president’s monthly earning is ₦1,171,568.20, totalling about ₦14,410,288.5 annually while that of a federal minister amounts to ₦11,243,080 annually. That means President Buhari couldn’t have earned more than ₦25,653,368.5 as salaries annually.

  • Did Buhari say he is unaware of ongoing ASUU strike?

    Claim: A viral screenshot claims President Buhari said he is not aware of the ongoing ASUU strike

    President Muhammadu Buhari did not say he is unaware of ASUU’s strike action because our findings and analysis show that the viral screenshot was manipulated.

    Full Text

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on February 14, 2022, embarked on a four-week warning strike which was extended by two months to afford the government more time to address all of its demands.

    The major demands of ASUU are; the renegotiation of its ASUU-FG 2009 agreement and the deployment of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for payment of its members’ salaries.

    On Thursday May 5, 2022, a screenshot went viral with the claim that president Muhammadu Buhari said he is not aware of the strike action. The news story was said to be published the same day by World Of News.

    The alleged report read “I don’t know ASUU is on strike since when and how long, nobody ever told me ASUU is on strike,” Buhari says. 

    Screenshot of the viral screenshot.

    Verification

    First of all, there is no news platform with the name “World Of News.” Looking at the screenshot, we observed that the byline had no name, just a combination of letters and numbers (kqce4), which is unlike an ideal news story.

    A keyword search did not lead to any news report on this claim or anything related.  We, however, found reports by the Guardian, Premium Times, noting the minister of labour,  Chris Ngige, updated the president on the deliberations and progress regarding the strike action. 

    SEE ALSO: FUOYE VC did not ask students to prepare for exams during ASUU strike

    This clearly shows the president is aware even though he has remained silent on the issue even at the recent Worker’s Day celebration where he was represented by the Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo. 

    Also, analysis of the image on Forensically shows the image had been manipulated.  Error level analysis shows the byline, date and text of the story show they were typed over another. Secondly, the image carries the three colour frames that indicate manipulation. 

    Screenshot of analysis result on viral Screenshot 

    Clone detection also reveals different manipulation done on the image.

    Screenshot of clone analysis. 

    Conclusion

    President Muhammadu Buhari did not say he is unaware of ASUU’s strike action because our findings and analysis show the screenshot was manipulated and no news report carried the claim. It is also remarkable that news reports in the past have shown the president is aware of the strike action, given that he is usually updated. 

  • FG did not promise to attend to ASUU after APC convention

    Claim: A campus news Facebook page, Campus Catch NG, has a claim that the Federal Government said it would attend to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) after the National All Progressive Congress’ convention.

    False. No media platform reported the supposed statement from the Federal Government. The report was only shared by a few pages on Facebook with no primary source of information.

    Full Text: 

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) recently extended its initial one-month warning strike, adding two months. The Union and the Federal Government have been in the news since the commencement of the strike.

    Since the extension, ASUU and the federal government have been trending on social media platforms. As such, different claims and inferences have been made on the issue.

    Recently, Campus Catch NG posted on Facebook that the Federal Government of Nigeria says it will attend ASUU after the APC National Convention.

    Enejor O. Samuel, a follower of the page, expressed his dissatisfaction with the supposed news.

    “Na lie… This is very untrue na…make una no finish this party na,” he said.

    The screenshot of the post by Campus Catch NG

    Similarly, a private group that shares ASUU news shared a similar claim on its group.

    The screenshot of the post shared on the Facebook group

    Ab Laky, a member of the group tagged the news as fake.

    Over a thousand reactions have met the post shared by Campus Catch NG, with more than 60 shares, hence, DUBAWA chose to fact-check this claim.

    Verification:

    DUBAWA first carried out a keyword search on the latest news reports on ASUU strike.

    Another version of the claim was found on Nairaland. The version links the story back to the Campus Catch NG’s Facebook page.

    The screenshot of the post on Nairaland

    Apparently, no media house has reported the supposed statement made by the Federal Government.

    The latest report on ASUU found on Google doesn’t include the supposed statement made by the Federal Government.

    We found the National Association of University Students threats to the Federal Government and ASUU in a bid to get them to call off the strike.

    Conclusion: 

    We could only find pages sharing the supposed statement from the Federal Government. No media house has reported the supposed statement. Where and when the statement was made is nonexistent. Hence, the claim is false.

  • Did Buhari promise not to embark on medical trips as president?

    Claim: A WhatsApp message claims President Buhari said he won’t embark on foreign medical trips.

    President Buhari never said he would not embark on foreign medical trips.

    Full Text

    As news about President Muhammadu Buhari’s proposed medical trip is making the rounds, a viral image which claims he promised not embark on foreign medical trips as president, has emerged.

    President Buhari’s office recently announced that he would “proceed to London for routine medical checks that would last for a maximum of two weeks,” after his three-day official visit to Kenya.

    The image, which has been shared repeatedly on WhatsApp, claims Mr. Buhari, a retired Army general, made the statement while delivering a lecture at The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, on February 21st 2015, before he was elected Nigeria’s President.

    “What is the difference between me and those who elected us to represent them, absolutely nothing. Why should the Nigerian President not fly with other Nigerian public? Why do I need to embark on a foreign trip as a president with a huge crowd with public funds? Why do I need to go for foreign medical trip if we cannot make our hospital functional? Why do we need to send our children to school abroad if we cannot develop our university to compete with the foreign ones?” President Buhari allegedly said.

    Screenshot of the viral claim

    The claim was also circulated on social media, particularly Facebook.

    President Buhari’s several foreign medical travels have often been criticised as “frivolous and unnecessary” by Nigerians. 

    Verification

    DUBAWA confirmed that Muhammadu Buhari indeed delivered a lecture during the African Programme Meeting at Chatham House, London, on February 26, 2015. However, this is contrary to the viral image which claims the lecture held on February 21, 2015.

    Transcripts of Buhari’s lecture, “Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s Transition”, obtained by DUBAWA, did not contain the statement credited to him in the viral image. Buhari’s only reference to a foreign hospital during the lecture came when he jokingly shared an instance when he heard rumours of his death in a London hospital.

    “Somebody announced me dead yesterday. I had a call from Maiduguri that somebody was listening to a friend crying saying Buhari had died in hospital in London. So he called me and I laughed my head off. So certainly I would be expecting too much if I don’t expect people are wishing me dead. I am very pleased I am fit. My doctors have declared me fit and I am going back for the final onslaught on PDP,” he said.

    DUBAWA found that this viral claim only resurfaced, having previously been circulated in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

    The claim was also widely shared in 2018

    There is also no record of any other event where Buhari delivered a speech at Chatham House on February 21, 2015.

    Presidential aide, Femi Adesina, who refuted the claims said it was not part of the text of the lecture at all. He described it as a “concoction by haters and agents of unity”, constructed  to diminish the reputation of President Muhammadu Buhari before millions of Nigerians who love him.

    Conclusion

    The viral claim that President Muhammadu Buhari promised not to embark on foreign medical trips in his speech at Chatham House London in 2015, is false. Transcripts of his speech at Chatham House have no record of such a statement.

  • President Buhari did not threaten to intervene if Russia refuses to back down on Ukraine

    Claim: Screenshot of a ‘breaking news’ headline has claimed that President Buhari is set to intervene if Russia refuses to back down on Ukraine. 

    The framed screenshot with the claim that President Buhari would intervene if Russia refuses to back down on Ukraine is fake. The screenshot was created using an online tool called breakyourownnews. This claim is false. 

    Full Text 

    The Russian /Ukrainian tension is now a  popular discourse amongst Nigerians. Recently, a screenshot of breaking news has a claim that President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria is set to intervene if Russia refuses to step down from her assault on Ukraine. 

    The screenshot of breaking news which contains the picture of President Buhari has been making the rounds on social media platforms.

    Even more, some users who had come across the screenshot seem to believe that Nigeria is already taking a side on the matter. One user, who forwarded the picture on a WhatsApp group, wrote: “I am glad that Nigeria is supporting Ukraine, at least Buhari is taking a favorable stance here.” 

    Others who saw the image also shared similar comments, with little or no iota of doubt about the originality of the screenshot. 

    This is not the first time DUBAWA has debunked a similar screenshot that shares unconfirmed narratives. 

    Verification

    As convincing as the claim appears to be, DUBAWA uncovers that no media outlet published or reported on the matter. 

    Other findings show the screenshot was created with an online tool called ‘break your own news.’ The tool allows users to create all sorts of news headlines and captions,  alongside any kind of supporting image they deem fit. 

    There is a disclaimer on the website that says: “This app is intended for fun, humour and parody – be careful what you make and how it may be shared. You should avoid making things which are unlawful, defamatory or likely to cause distress. Have fun and be kind!” 

    The case,  however, appears to be the opposite of this disclaimer, as users are now using it to fabricate unfounded headlines that are  misleading the unsuspecting members of the public. 

    When DUBAWA forged a headline on the tool, the result was exactly as the alleged screenshot.

    A typical screenshot created by DUBAWA on the tool

    Disclaimer: this screenshot was only created by DUBAWA for the purpose of this investigation. Readers should neither take it seriously nor try to create other versions. 

    Conclusion

    President Buhari is yet to make a statement as regards the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The alleged screenshot was merely used to share a simulated narrative. This claim is false. 

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