President Muhammadu Buhari

By Francis Arinze Iloani

As the Edo and Ondo States Election approaches, we have identified eight types of political disinformation [otherwise known as propaganda] designed and viciously disseminated to sway the choices of would-be voters. In fact, a recent article, by Iwok Iniobong titled “Edo, Ondo guber: Why politicians, parties must tread softly,” posited that politicians in Edo and Ondo campaigns had deviated from their manifestos in favour of spreading misinformation and disinformation. “If you observe very well, presentation of manifestos is no longer the in-thing, but the campaign is about use of base language and innuendos against opponents,” Iniobong said. 

Exhibit 1 – there were several opposing information circulated through the media, particularly the social media, on the attack on Governor Godwin Obaseki’s entourage at the Oba of Benin Palace. 

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Chief Dan Orbih, alleged that “the attack was a plot to eliminate Governor Obaseki, national officials of PDP and some PDP governors.”

Conversely, the Vice Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) National Campaign Council, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon, alleged that the PDP was responsible for the attack and that Governor Obaseki was planning to arrest and detain the former National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on the eve of the election.

Bearing this in mind and being conscious of the reality that some media consumers may not have the required media literacy to easily detect propaganda from the legion of information in the media, here are the eight ways to easily detect propaganda in the media: 

Bandwagon veiled as information

Politicians veil propaganda as information in the form of bandwagon. The idea here is to convey the notion that if you don’t get aboard you will be left out. A media literate consumer should watch out for politicians who direct their appeals to groups held together by common ties. For instance, politicians at subnational levels in Nigeria are likely to rely on bandwagon effects if their party is in charge at the federal level. It is widely shared that the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari contributed to the victory of some governors and lawmakers. A media literate person should be able to notice media messages designed to appeal to sentiments of voters based on common ties, rather than merits.

Name calling as against genuine manifestos

Be careful of politicians who appeal to your hate and fear.  They do name calling by the use of negative words or labels to create prejudice against some person, group or idea. For instance, Dr. Charles Omorodion’s article titled “Edo 2020: Beware of Obaseki’s perfidy, betrayal and Judas Kiss!” published on Bloomshire stated that “as a betrayal, in a deeper sense, Obaseki is sending an ominous signal of how little he cares about, or values his relationship with APC.” A media literate person should judge Obaseki beyond the tag of “a betrayer.” Name calling cuts across all the political campaigners in Edo and Ondo States.

Reliance on testimonial

Politicians deploying testimonial propaganda use experts, celebrities, or perceived opinion leaders to offer reasons why they are best suited to be elected.  As the elections in Edo and Ondo States draw nearer, you are likely to see more celebrity endorsements of candidates. For instance, a national newspaper recently reported that  teachers in Ondo State under the auspices of the National Network of Teachers for Good Governance and Quality Education endorsed Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for a second term in office. A media literate news consumer reasons beyond such propaganda and focuses more on Governor Akeredolu’s manifesto for his second term. 

Read more.

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Fact checks of the week

• A video on YouTube claims that the  World Bank has finally approved the Biafran Currency

A YouTube video from ‘Biafra Generation’ claims that the world bank has approved the Biafran currency (what they termed as the Ejemme). How true?

• Fake social media accounts use Trump as signifier for trash talk

A Facebook user, Okeke Nelson, on the Radio Biafra London page, put up a twitter post alleged to be from the President of the United States, Donald Trump. In the post, Trump said…

• APC bigwig, Joe Igbokwe, cuddles misinformation to buoy party image

An All Progressives Congress (APC) party leader, Joe Igbokwe, deploys varieties of cheering photographs on Facebook claiming they are that of the recently …

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QandA

• When is the Edo election holding? 

The Edo governorship election has been scheduled for September 19th.

• How many Candidates are on the INEC final list for Edo election?

According to the final list of candidates released by the Independent Electoral Commission, there are 14 candidates in total. From the 14 governorship candidates, only 2 are females.  The two female governorship candidates are Mabel Oboh of African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Agol Tracy of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

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What can you do? 

Be alert, share our tips and don’t share false news! 

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Coronavirus infection count 

Note: Total cases may be more than officially stated owing to the inability to include unconfirmed cases. Stay safe!

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Tip of the week 

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#FakeNews Alert 

• Nigeria Borrowed N18.89tn Under Buhari – Report – SOURCE: OnlineBlog (WazobiaReportersng)

Questions to ask yourself: Who is the source? Who is your source’s source? Has this been published by another platform? Is this a wrong headline? Is the figure accurate? Has it been Over/Under stated? Be sure to verify the content of this report before sharing.

• Fuel-Price Hike: You Sold Petrol For N600 Per Litre Under Your Govt, Presidency Slams PDP – SOURCE: OnlineBlog (tstga.com)

Questions to ask yourself:  What is the evidence behind this number? Is there a proof? Is this a misleading statement? What is the intention of the speaker? You may be shocked what you’ll find out.

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Other Fact-checks 

• UK Court affirms Daily Trust’s report that VP sounded early warning on P&ID fraud
• Verification tips ahead of Edo governorship poll
• Four bank credit alert schemes scammers have used to defraud victims!
• An initiative for university graduates promotes an upsetting claim, and drags the NUC into a gratuitous controversy
• Factcheck: Pastor Reno Omokri reaches to hagiography on a claim that Igbos have richest people per capita in Africa
• Viral Video depicting brawl between student and invigilator during WAEC exam is misleading
• Explainer: Eight signs of propaganda as Edo, Ondo go to the polls
• True! Nigeria is the largest producer of rice in Africa, 14th in global ranking
• The Ever-evolving Nature of Fact-checking

An All Progressives Congress (APC) party leader, Joe Igbokwe, deploys varieties of cheering photographs on Facebook claiming they are that of the recently reopened Akanu Ibiam Airport in Enugu state.

The Facebook pictures are mostly misleading because many of them are those of other airports, rather than the just reopened Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

Full Text

The Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu State, which was closed down for repairs in August last year, was reopened on August 30th with the minister of aviation, Hadi Sirka, and several dignitaries in attendance to certify the airport satisfactory to commence operations.

The aviation boss stated that the airport was certified to commence local flights while international flights will only resume on the 5th of September. 

Several reports highlighted the uncompleted state of some sections of the airport which suggested they are still undergoing construction. 

However, several images have been paraded on social media, all claiming to be the new state of the Akanu Ibiam Airport. 

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Joe Igbokwe, made a splash of pictures purportedly of the airport on his Facebook post, where he used these pictures to compare the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan with the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. His ‘pic 1’ portrays the state of the airport under Jonathan’s administration while pics 2 to 5 depict the state of the same airport under Buhari.

In the post, which garnered over 80 shares and 139 likes within few hours of going live, Igbokwe listed names of some officials in the Jonathan and Buhari’s governments and then wrote:  

Sixty years after independence, provision of basic amenities like this airport should not be a key performance index for leaders…But rate the two teams yourself and tell us who failed and who is succeeding…Tell us who is your true friend and who is your enemy?

Tell us which of the two teams should be called OHANEZE NDIGBO CLASSICALS!

Verification

A google reverse image search of all the photographs reveal very dramatic representations. Whereas pic 1 is truly that of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, pics 2 and pic 3 are not. They are images of the Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano  https://www.faan.gov.ng/mallam-aminu-kano-international-airport/ 

The search also revealed pic 5 as that of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, in Abuja. Search for pic 6 returned no results as the origin could not be traced. The search also traced pic 4 back to several reports and blog posts that have used the same image referring to it as the Akanu Ibiam Airport. However, we couldn’t ascertain the location of the image.

Conclusion

The Facebook post is misleading as most of the pictures used to depict the just reopened Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu are of other airports.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2020 Fellowship partnership with Sparkling 92.3 FM to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

In the build up to the 2019 general elections, Lauretta Onochie, President Muhammadu Buhari’s special adviser on social media, tweeted a picture of road construction that she claimed was the Nasarawa-Jos road.

A fact-check by The Cable discovered that the picture was from iStock, an online photo library. Onochie later apologised for the misleading tweet and promised ‘it won’t happen again.’

In another instance, a video surfaced on Facebook claiming to show United States president, Donald Trump, endorsing Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP. 

However, a fact-check by AFP discovered Trump made no such endorsement and that the video was doctored.

BBC also documented how “written posts, photos and videos” were “shared on social media platforms, publicly on Facebook and in private WhatsApp groups, spreading unsubstantiated rumours about the candidates” in the build up to the general elections.

Those are examples of how (political) misinformation thrives during election periods as political parties and their candidates reel out claims and promises in a bid to win voters to their sides and demarket their opponents. 

Apart from its potential to cause violence, misinformation could mislead the electorate to make ill-informed political decisions and weaken electoral integrity.

“Mis/disinformation, particularly through social media, has become an increasing problem to electoral integrity and citizens’ trust in their democratic institutions,” a 2019 study by International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has found out.

It is thus important to take deliberate steps to guard against misinformation as the Edo state governorship election approaches. 

According to Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the election will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2020.

Meanwhile, top political parties and candidates participating in the election have started campaigning, both offline and online.

To make an informed choice during the election and avoid electoral violence, it’s important for the electorate to sieve the fact from fiction and avoid falling for any form of “fake news” coming from the political actors.

1. Beware of doctored images and videos; your smartphone can be of help

Before, they say, “seeing is believing”. Now, you have to verify after seeing before believing. Else, you will be deceived or misled.

This is particularly important on the day of the election as the social media may be filled with hundreds or thousands of images with bogus claims, just as it happened during the 2019 elections. 

Don’t fall for them. Before you believe or share any picture, do some verification. 

Thankfully, you can use your smartphone to verify if the picture has appeared somewhere before or has been manipulated.

If you see any suspicious picture (or video), here is how you can verify its authenticity:  

1. Save the picture on your phone or copy the URL link (or do a screenshot if it is video)

2. Open your browser app (preferably Chrome) and go to: https://images.google.com/

Source: images.google.com

3. Ensure the browser is on desktop mode: click the three dots at top right-hand side of the browser and select “desktop site” in the drop-down menu.

4. Click the camera 📷 icon; paste the URL link or click upload an image to choose the picture from your phone

5. The image search result will display when and where the picture has been used. It will also display visually similar images. 

This will give useful clues on whether the picture has been used out of context or has been manipulated to suit certain interests.

Alternatively, with Google Chrome, you can long press on a photo to do reverse image search, that is, to know where the image has appeared before.

When you long press on the photo, a drop-down menu will appear.

Select “Search Google for this image”, this will display other places where the photo has appeared before.

Check here for other tools you can use to verify pictures on your smart phone.

Meanwhile, you can also check the comments underneath the pictures posted on social media; someone might have seen the pictures before and offer some useful insights. 

2. Check Mainstream Media/Multiple Sources

The internet is filled with thousands of blogs peddling unverified stories, just to drive web traffic or promote certain interests. Avoid impulse sharing of such unverified stories. Verify any (suspicious) news on Mainstream Media; and ensure to check multiple sources.

For instance, if Newspaper A reports that election is not taking place in a certain local government area, it is possible the report is based on some, not all, polling units in the said LGA. 

Meanwhile, Newspaper B may also report that election is taking place in the same LGA, citing other polling units not covered by the former. 

Thus, checking the reports from the two news sources or more will provide you a better informed perspective regarding what is happening in the LGA.

3. Beware of concocted election results

During the 2019 presidential elections, several bogus and unverified claims were flying around on social media. The forthcoming Edo governorship election will very likely witness the same.

On election day, different results will be flying around on social media, do not believe or share them. Your source of results should only be INEC and credible news outlets that have their reporters on ground at voting centres.

Also, INEC has launched an online portal where authentic results can be viewed online.

Here is a step-by-step guide to check election results on INEC’s online platform.

4. Check your biases 

It’s always very easy to be deceived or misled when misinformation aligns with our biases. For instance, a report by Full Fact states we “are all prone to believing information when it is repeated, easy to process and when it aligns with our prior attitudes and world views (motivated reasoning).”

So, when you see a piece of information that aligns with your personal bias (whether it is in text, audio, or visual format), be cautious and double check from multiple reputable sources before accepting it as the truth or sharing it.

If, for instance, an election result showing the candidate of your favorite party wins surfaces online, you may be tempted to believe it without considering the credibility of the source or verifying from other sources because it aligns with your political sentiment. 

However, it is important you put your biases in check and properly verify the result via other credible sources to avoid being misled. 

5. Read beyond headlines; avoid liking or sharing unread stories

Don’t like or share a news report if you have not read beyond the headline. This is because many blogs create headlines that are at variance with the news reports.

Headlines can be sensational and misleading. It is, therefore, important to read the actual story, check the author, the source, the date of publication and other vitals before believing the story and hitting the like or share button.

EDITOR’s NOTE: This article has been updated with information on Lauretta Onochie’s apology following her misleading tweet in the build up to the 2019 general elections.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2020 Fellowship partnership with Legit.ng to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

When Babatunde Olusola (known on Twitter as Shola, @jayyth3dope) sent a tweet about Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, on the 5th of May, 2020, using a parody account, little did he know he had signed up to spend “almost 90 days in detention.”

According to a thread of tweets he posted on August 21, he had converted his personal account into a parody and used it to respond to a question on the (Twitter)  timeline: “who else noticed Nigeria has been boring ever since Buhari became the president?”

“So I quoted the tweet saying “my wife was always the joke,” Olusola wrote. 

“I only made a harmless tweet that very evening but unfortunately I got arrested May 23rd😩😩❤️,” he added.

He was subsequently arrested by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives and whisked away from Ogbomosho to the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID), Abuja, where he was kept behind bars for days before being charged to court for impersonation, according to his account.

This incident has brought forth heated arguments regarding the use of parody accounts on Twitter.

While many Nigerians, especially on Twitter, condemned the treatment meted out on Olusola, a few others believed he was wrong to have created the parody account and used it to “insult” the former president’s wife.

This brings to fore the arguments on the appropriate use of parody accounts.

What’s a Twitter parody account?

Parody accounts on Twitter and other social media platforms are those usually named after popular personalities and organisations mainly for humorous or satirical purposes.

Key requirements for using Twitter parody accounts

Twitter rules permit the use of parody accounts. However, there are certain requirements that must be met.

First, the bio of a parody account “should clearly indicate that the user is not affiliated with the subject of the account.”

“Non-affiliation can be indicated by incorporating, for example, words such as (but not limited to) “parody,” “fake,” “fan,” or “commentary.” Non-affiliation should be stated in a way that can be understood by the intended audience,” Twitter rules state.

Also, the account name, which is separate from the username, or @handle, should clearly indicate that the user is not affiliated with the subject of the account. 

For instance, a parody account named after President Muhammadu Buhari should clearly state it is not an official page of the Nigerian president. 

A good example is @TheMBuhari on Twitter, a parody account used to humour or satirize President Buhari. The account name is Parosident Spending while the bio clearly states that it’s a parody account.

A screenshot of a Twitter parody account, @TheMBuhari

Not clearly indicating that such an account is not that of the president will amount to impersonation, a punishable offence under the law. 

It could also cause misinformation, especially from the audience who might be misled to think it’s the president’s official page.

In 2018 for instance, a fake Twitter account named after Nigeria’s former vice president Atiku Abubakar, @TheAtiku, tweeted that the Nigerian politician thanked “the Association of Nigerian Gay Men (ANGAM)” for their endorsement of his presidential ambition. 

Many Nigerians were misled, thinking the tweet was coming from the former vice president who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections.

The Twitter account has since been suspended. This could have been averted if the user had clearly stated the account was a parody and the tweets weren’t authored by Atiku.

In the case of Olusola, even though he indicated that the account does not belong to ex-President Jonathan in his bio, he didn’t indicate such in the account name (Goodluck E. Jonathan), in line with the Twitter rules. 

Thus, the parody account in question, @jayythedope, also got suspended.

A screenshot of Olusola’s suspended parody account. Source: @jayyth3dope

Owners of parody accounts that do not follow the stipulated guidelines earlier highlighted may be accused of impersonation, sued accordingly, and have their accounts suspended by Twitter. 

Nevertheless, Twitter says it will not remove any account for impersonation if the “user shares your name but has no other commonalities, or “the profile clearly states it is not affiliated with or connected to any similarly-named individuals or brands”.

Parody accounts in the eyes of the Nigerian law

Olusola who created the parody account named after ex-President Jonathan was charged for impersonation under Section 22 (3)(c) of the Cybercrimes Act, according to Tope Akinyode, one of his counsels. 

Akinyode says, however, that parody accounts cannot amount to impersonation under the Nigerian jurisprudence.

Specifically tweeting on the Olusola saga, the lawyer says “the requirement of the law is that Ex President Goodluck Jonathan must prove that Babatunde (Olusola)’s parody account has caused disadvantage to himself or other persons.”

Similarly, Inibehe Effiong, another legal practitioner, says “using a parody account is not impersonation except there is a fraudulent intention.”

Nonetheless, a Nigerian lawyer who is also remotely involved in the Olusola saga, Abdul Mahmud, says “parody account, distinguished from impersonation, is a grey area in our statute book. 

Mahmud also advised against the use of people’s image without their consent.

“As I’ve always advised folks, please, don’t use people’s images if you don’t have their consents,” he added.

“However, if you do use the someone (sic) else’s image and name, don’t defame him or her. A joke can be defamatory.”

Meanwhile, controversies over the use of Twitter parody accounts are not limited to Nigeria alone. 

In the United States for instance, a college student named Zachary Felton created a Twitter account to parody his professor, Todd Levitt. He named the parody account Todd Levitt 2.0 and used it “to make light of the plaintiff’s marketing strategy”.

In line with Twitter rules, the parody account’s bio stated that it was “a badass parody on our favorite lawyer”. 

Upon discovering the parody account in June 2014, Professor Levitt sued Felton for defamation.

The court, however, dismissed the suit, issuing an order stating the parody was protected under the US’ First Amendment. 

The First Amendment “guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely.”

“The tweets were meant to ridicule and satirize plaintiff’s social media presence in a humorous way,” the court ruled.

“It is clear that Todd Levitt 2.0 cannot reasonably be interpreted as anything other than a parody account.”

Another popular and recent example is that of an American congressman, Devin Nunes, who in March 2019 sued Twitter and at least two parody accounts poking fun at him; “Devin Nunes’ cow” (@DevinCow) and “Devin Nunes’ Mom” (@DevinNunesMom).

Devin Nunes’ cow, satirizing the congressman who is a former dairy farmer, pretends to be a cow while the other, Devin Nunes’ Mom, pretends to be his mother.

The Republican congressman was seeking $250m (£188m) in damages for “abusive, hateful and defamatory” content.

However, in June 2020, the court dismissed Nunes’ defamation suit against Twitter, citing a United States’ federal law which protects social media companies from being held responsible for what individuals post on their sites.

Twitter also refused to reveal the identities of those behind the parody accounts, restating its “commitment to freedom of expression and privacy.”

While the social media giant has since suspended @DevinNunesMom, following a complaint by Nunes’ real mother, according to Independent UK, the other account, @DevinCow, remains active.

This article is a republished content from Legit.ng per our Dubawa 2020 Fellowship partnership with newsrooms and media organisations.

Ahmed Bashir claimed that it is not a “constitutional right” to renew someone’s tenure after expiration.

While there is a provision in the constitution for another tenure post the first four-year reign, it is not a constitutional right. This is consequent on the fact that it is still subject to presidential appointment.

Full Text

The aftermath of President Buhari’s replacement of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) chairman- well ex-chair- left a slew of questions on the minds of many Nigerians.

While BusinessDay’s publication laid the groundwork in answering key questions such as Muhammad Nami’s credentials– Fowler’s replacement, it is perhaps other headlines such as, “BREAKING: Buhari fails to renew Fowler’s tenure, names Muhammad Nami as successor,” that left many with mixed reactions and interesting statements. The statement made by President Buhari’s Personal Assistant to new media, Bashir Ahmed, is a notable example.

He claimed it was not a constitutional right to renew the appointment of FIRS chairman in Nigeria. He argued that the expiration of Fowler’s appointment did not necessitate the President’s action for renewal.

Failed FIRS Targets & the Buhari-Administration

President Buhari appointed Babatunde Fowler as FIRS chairman in August 2015; the same year, the tax agency began to record shortfalls in tax revenue collections. This was after years of surpassing its annual targets, the economic recession of 2016 may have a bearing here.

These consistent shortfalls (cumulatively N3.98 trillion circa 2015-2018) by the FIRS were the reason for Abbah Kyari’s query. We recall in August how the President’s Chief of Staff issued a query to Fowler in this regard. Also of consequence, was their role in the country’s failure to achieve its annual spending objectives within the past few years.

But Fowler in his reaction to the query blamed the recession as well as lower oil prices in the international market for the variances in revenue targets and actual collections within the four-year period.

Federal government plans to amend existing task policies (through the 2019 finance bill) are perhaps direct responses to the tax revenue remittances.

While some may fear Fowler’s inability to meet tax revenue shortfalls may have led to his replacement; there are separate concerns that the replacement could have some political inkling ahead of 2023 presidential election.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s friendship with Fowler spurred more of these assumptions. More so, denying him a second tenure as FIRS boss could reduce Osinbajo’s influence within the government.

He is entitled to a single four-year renewal!

Monday marked the conclusion of Fowler’s first four-year tenure as FIRS Chairman after a December 9, 2015 confirmation.

In order to ascertain the veracity of Ahmed’s claim, BusinessDay obtained the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2007 from the service’s website. The Act establishes the FIRS and charged it “with the powers of assessment, collection of, and accounting for revenues accruable to the government of the federation; and for related matters.”

“the chairman and other members of the Board, other than ex-officio members, shall each hold office for a term of four years renewable only once”

Section 4 of the FIRS Act 2007

Nonetheless, it remains the President’s prerogative

Based on the provision of the FIRS (Establishment) Act, 2007, Fowler’s tenure is renewable for another four years… but, at the discretion of President Buhari. Hence, Ahmed’s claim that the renewal of the FIRS chairman was not a constitutional right is TRUE!

This report is a republished piece with the original by Business Day.

On Friday the 14th of December 2018, five vice presidential candidates vying for leadership roles in Nigeria met at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja for a debate. Debates have become customary during presidential elections for candidates to discuss prevalent societal issues and their proposed policies to address them.

The participants at this debate were selected earlier this week by the presidential election debates group and a group of broadcast stations affiliated to the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON).

The participants at the debate were Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Yemi Osinbajo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ganiyu Galadima of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Khadijah Abdullahi of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) and Umma Abdullahi-Getso of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

As expected, most of the candidates made a number of claims which may or may not be true, false or just plain exaggeration. Here’s a simplified way to ascertain what is true and what is not out of the barrage of information sent out yesterday.

VERIFYING VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE 1 – MR PETER OBI

Mr Peter Obi started by reeling out statistics to attack the Buhari administration. He mentioned worsening inequality, misery index, terrorism index, poverty index, unemployment, health, education and all other key indexes he said have shown that Nigeria is getting worse. Let’s take a look at his first claim:

“Nigeria has 10 cars per 1,000 people. There are about two million vehicles in Nigeria.”

FACT – According to road transport data by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for Q1 2018, estimated vehicle population in Nigeria as at Q1 2018 was put at 11,653,871. That means that vehicle ownership in Nigeria is way above the 2 million figure claimed by Mr Obi. Also, with the total population of Nigeria set at 198,000,000 in 2018, this means that (approximately) 1 out of 17 people have cars. Again, WRONG!!

Second claim: “Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world today. Our inequality has worsened, our misery index has worsened.”
FACT – According to a survey conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the population of out-of-school children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5 million to 13.2 million, the highest in the world.
The report indicated that most of these children are in Nigeria’s northern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, where insecurities caused by Boko Haram have disrupted academic activities. With UNICEF’s evidence, we can say that Peter Obi’s claim is TRUE.

Third claim: “SMEs are contributing to more than 60 per cent employment in China.” He says China’s policies have guaranteed the country over seven million jobs annually, while Nigeria continues to lose over four million jobs per year.
FACT – According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics as quoted by statista, China’s economic system is largely based on growth and export with the manufacturing sector being a crucial contributor to the country’s export competitiveness. The distribution of the workforce across economic sectors in China from 2007 to 2017 showed that in 2017, 27 per cent of the workforce were employed in agriculture, 28.1 per cent in industry and 44.9 per cent in services.

According to the China Statistical Yearbook, in 2015 SMEs made up about 97.9% of all registered companies in China. Their total assets have been around 53.4% of China’s total number, their revenue was 62% of the total and the profits been 64.3% of the total with a number of 4.26 Billion Yuan. They also contributed nearly 58 per cent of the GDP and 68 per cent of exports.

SMEs are also playing an increasingly significant role in the employment situation in China. The number of employees in SMEs makes about 82% of total employees in China. They are also responsible for nearly 75% of the new jobs every year.
With data from China’s National Bureau of statistics, we can say that Peter Obi’s claim that MSME contributes more than 60 per cent employment in China is TRUE.

Fourth claim: “Nigeria unemployment and underemployment was 24% in 2014, In 2017 it is now 40%. Within the same period that China produced 7m jobs, Nigeria lost 4m jobs.”
FACT – According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ Labour Force Statistics Q1-Q3 2017, Nigeria’s unemployment and underemployment rate in Q1 2015 was 29%, In Q4 2016, the unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 35%. The last unemployment rate uploaded by the country’s official data repository, NBS was in the third quarter of 2017 and the unemployment rate as at then was 40%. So, The claim by Peter Obi about Nigeria’s current unemployment rate is TRUE.

Fifth claim: “Nigeria has fallen on the global competitive index from 124 to 127.”
FACT – According to the latest (2018) World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2018, Nigeria rose on the index by 10 places. Nigeria is currently 115 (47.5%) out of 140 countries with chad being the 140th country (35.5%) and the United States of America being rated first with 85.6% rating.
Obi wasn’t specific on his claim, he didn’t talk about the year so, for this and according to available document, the claim by Peter Obi on Nigeria falling on the global competitive index is FALSE.

Sixth claim: “Oil is responsible for 80% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings.”
FACT – As of 2017, NBS figures showed that Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings from oil the oil sector stood above 90%. Also, according to Global Edge, the oil sector provides 95% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings and 80% of its budgetary revenues.

So, the claim by Obi that oil is responsible for 80% of Nigeria’s Forex is NOT ENTIRELY TRUE.

Seventh claim: “In 2014, Nigeria generated $21bn in Foreign Direct Investment, in 2017, it fell to $12bn in 2017.”

FACT – According to NBS capital importation reports, the first quarter in 2018 saw a continuous growth in total Capital Importation into Nigeria, the fourth consecutive quarterly increase since Q2 2017. The total value of capital imported in the quarter stood at $6.3 Billion, which is a year on year increase of 594.03% and a 17.11% growth over the figure reported in the previous quarter. This increase in capital inflow in Q1, 2018 was driven mainly by Portfolio Investment, which grew from $3,477.53 million in the previous quarter to $4,565.09 million, accounting for 72.42% of the total Capital Importation during the quarter. As at the end of 2017, total capital imported into Nigeria was $12.2 billion, an increase of $7.1billion or 138.7 per cent from the figure recorded in 2016.

So, according to this statistics, Mr Obi’s claim is FALSE.

VERIFYING VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE 2 – YEMI OSINBAJO

The APC’s vice presidential candidate, Yemi Osinbajo who is also the serving vice president, went straight to the achievements of his party and listed the achievements of the current government from railways to payments to poor Nigerians.
In his debate, he made the following claims:

First claim: “With less revenue, we have spent N2.7 trillion on capital projects in two budget cycles, the highest in the history of Nigeria.”
FACT – Since Prof Osinbajo was referring to the expenditure of this current administration, we verified this claim by assessing the budget allocation and expenditure between 2016 and 2017.

According to the Budget Office of the Federation, the 2016 budget, as approved by President Buhari has an aggregate expenditure of N6,060,677,358,227 (N6 trillion) out of which N1, 587,598,122,031 (N1 trillion) was projected as capital expenditure but the total release for capital projects in 2016, according to the Accountant General, was N1,219,471,747,443 (N1.2 trillion) which translates to only 20% of the total budget size was spent on Capital Projects. Here’s a more visual look at this:

In 2017, according to official documents from the office of the accountant general, out of the N2.36 budgeted for capital expenditure in the 2017 budget, a total of N1.6 trillion was released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies for financing capital projects in the 2017 federal budget.

Going by available data on capital releases for 2016 and 2017, a total of N2.8 trillion has been spent on capital projects by the current government, so the claim that Buhari’s government have spent N2.7 trillion on capital projects, the highest in the history of Nigeria on capital investment is TRUE.

Second claim: “The VP says the government has made giant strides in agriculture, especially in the production of rice, Nigeria is now producing 90% of rice consumption.”
FACT – There is no documented evidence to back up the vice president’s claim that Nigeria produces 90% of its rice consumption.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Nigeria consumes more rice than any African country and is one of the biggest producers and importers of the grain on the continent.

In 2015, the Nigerian government through the Central Bank of Nigeria imposed import restrictions on rice and introduced a borrowing programme to stimulate local rice production while reducing the country’s food import bills, available data from Index Mundi and the United States Department of Agriculture states that rice imports increased from 2.1 million tonnes in 2015 to an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of rice in 2016, 2.6 million tonnes in 2017 and 3.0 million tonnes in 2018.

Also, according to the International Grain Council, rice imports in 2016 was estimated to be 2.1 million tonnes and 2.7million tonnes in 2017. It is estimated that Nigeria’s rice import will be 2.8 million tonnes in 2018.

Therefore, the vice president’s claim that Nigeria’s rice import has reduced and that Nigeria produces 90% of domestic rice consumption remains UNPROVEN.

Third claim: “The micro-credit scheme under the larger social investments programmes of the Buhari administration has gone a long way to address poverty. Over 400,000 people have been lifted out of poverty.”
FACT: According to a freedom of Information reply to PTCJ by the National Social Investment Office, the actual number of beneficiaries of the National Cash transfer programme is well known to the Community Trained Facilitators of the scheme who are said to be visiting the conditional cash transfer beneficiaries every week to support them with financial skills, savings group , basic enumeration etc. Based on this reply, we can ascertain that there is no public data to support this claim and as such, the claim by the Vice president that Over 400,000 people have been lifted out of poverty on the social investment scheme remain UNPROVEN.

Fourth claim: “Social Investment Programme has N500 Billion going into it every year, we have employed 500 N-power graduates, we are feeding 9.2 Million pupils daily.”
FACT: According to a freedom of Information reply to PTCJ by the National Social Investment Office, the entire amount appropriated to the NSIP has been N500 billion annually (commencing 2016) for 3 years (making a total of 1.5 trillion) but total releases so far (as at October 2018) amounted to about N307 Billion, representing 23.63% of the appropriated sum.

So, the claim that N500 Billion goes into the Social Investment Programme every year is not TRUE as the appropriation is different from actual releases. However, we have verified the claim that the government has engaged 200,000 youths under its NPOWER programme. Information available on the website of the scheme states that only 200,000 Nigerians have been enrolled so far in the scheme and news report has it that another 300,000 youths have been engaged so far on the programme.

So while the N500 Billion investment in NSIP annually is NOT TRUE, the vice president’s claim on NPower engaging 500,000 youths is TRUE.

Fifth claim: “Bag of fertiliser now sells for N6,000 to N7,000 in Nigeria.”
FACT: Price of fertiliser has experienced a drastic drop following the Nigeria-Morocco fertiliser deal. As at 2016, a bag of fertiliser sold for more than N10,000 but according to Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), the average fertilizer prices across the states increased by 0.20% for NPK, decreased by 0.88% for Urea and 2.59% for SSP compared to average fertilizer prices of September, 2018. In the open market NPK sold between N6, 150 – N9, 000, Urea N6, 200 –N8, 250, SSP N6,200 – N6,500.

So the claim by VP Osinbajo that price of fertilizer hs reduced to N6000 -N7,000 in Nigeria is TRUE.

Sixth claim: “On World Bank Ease of Doing Business report. Nigeria went down by 64 places under PDP, but has risen by 24 places under APC.”
FACT: according to the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report, Nigeria went down from 120 to 170 between 2008 and 2015, in 2017, Nigeria moved 24 places from its 2016 spot of 169 to 145. According to World Bank Ease of Doing Business report released in October 2018, out of a total of 190 countries ranked by the World Bank, Nigeria was ranked 146th in 2018, dropping by a spot from its 145th position in 2017.

So, the statement by VP Osinbajo that Nigeria has risen by 24 places under APC is TRUE.

(We are still doing research on these claims, this report will be updated as new information arises)

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has said that the nation’s debt was $73 billion, a $10 billion increment from $63 billion the present administration inherited in 2015.

He made the disclosure in Ibadan on Saturday during the 9th Public Lecture of Sigma Club at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

THE CLAIM:

“In 2010 our debt was $35 billion, $41 billion in 2011, $48 billion in 2012, $64 billion in 2013, $67.7 billion in 2014, $63.8 billion in 2015, $57.8 billion in 2016, $70 billion in 2017 and $73 billion in 2018.

“The nation’s debt as at today was $73 billion, an increment of $10 billion from the $63 billion inherited in 2015,”

VERIFICATION OF CLAIM

According to the Debt Management Office, as at June 2015, The External Debt Stock of Federal Government and the 36 States stood at $10.316 Billion; Domestic Debt Stock (FGN Only) was $42.633 Billion and Domestic Debt of States was $10.856 Billion which gives a grand total public debt stock of $63.806 Billion

Also, according to the same document from Debt Management Office, the total public debt stock as at June 2018 stood at $73.207 Billion with breakdown as follows: federal Government and the 36 states owe $22.083 Billion, Domestic Debt (FGN Only) is $39.749 Billion and total Domestic Debt of States and the FCT stood at $11.374 Billion.

Further analysis of Nigeria Debt Stock also revealed that in 2012, Nigeria’s debt stock was $48.496 Billion, in 2013, it was $64.509 Billion, in 2014, it was $67.726 Billion, In 2016, it stood at $57.391 Billion and as at December 31st 2017, the total debt stock was $70.999 Billion

These figures, according to the Debt Management Office substantiate same figures quoted by the Vice President where he said “In 2010 our debt was $35 billion, $41 billion in 2011, $48 billion in 2012, $64 billion in 2013, $67.7 billion in 2014, $63.8 billion in 2015, $57.8 billion in 2016, $70 billion in 2017 and $73 billion in 2018”

There was no available record on the Website of the Debt Management Office for 2010 and 2011, so it is difficult to verify the VP’s debt figure of $35 and $41 billion for 2010 and 2011 respectively.

However, going by available data on public debt stock from 2012 till date, the total debt of the country in 2015 was $63.806 Billion and the current debt figure as at June 2018 stood at $73.207 Billion which is the same as the figure quoted by the vice president on Saturday.

Therefore, the claim by the vice president that this government has only increased the nation’s debt stock by only $10 billion from $63 billion this present administration inherited in 2015 is TRUE.

While addressing people at the 9th Presidential Quarterly Business Forum, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (who is also Nigeria’s Vice President), claimed that the Federal Government has spent N1.7 trillion in capital investment in two budget years.

“I am convinced that we can crack the jobs problem and we are in the right direction. First, by investing in infrastructure; we are investing more in infrastructure today than any previous governments in our history.

“We have spent so far in two budgets, N1.7 trillion in capital investment – that is the largest in the history of the country despite earning 60 percent less; we are doing far more with far less resources,’’ said the Vice President at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja.

N1.7 TRILLION IN CAPITAL INVESTMENT IS THE LARGEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY

The vice president said spending N1.7 trillion in capital investment is the largest in the history of the country despite earning 60 percent less.

Since Prof Osinbajo was referring to a two-year expenditure of this current administration, we verified this claim by assessing the budgetary allocation and expenditure of 2016 and 2017. This year (2018) was not included because the budget was only passed a few months ago and technically, has not been spent yet.

According to the Budget Office of the Federation, the 2016 budget, as approved by President Buhari has an aggregate expenditure of N6,060,677,358,227 (N6 trillion) out of which N1, 587,598,122,031 (N1 trillion) was projected as capital expenditure but the total release for capital projects in 2016, according to the Accountant General, was N1,219,471,747,443 (N1.2 trillion) which translates to only 20% of the total budget size was spent on Capital Projects. Here’s a more visual way to look at this:

In 2017, a total expenditure of N7.44 trillion was passed by the National Assembly, out of which N2.99 trillion was for earmarked for non-debt recurrent spending, while N2.36 trillion was budgeted for capital expenditure, the figure which represents 31% of the entire budget.

According to official documents from the office of the accountant general, out of the N2.36 budgeted for capital expenditure in the 2017 budget, a total of N1.6 trillion was released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies for financing capital projects in the 2017 federal budget.

Going by available data on capital releases for 2016 and 2017, A total of N2.8 trillion has been spent on capital projects by the current government, a figure which is more than the N1.7 trillion quoted by the vice president, so the claim that this government have spent so far in two budgets, N1.7 trillion in capital investment is TRUE.

A previous fact check had also shown that the latter part of Mr Osinbajo’s claim that the capital release “is the largest in the history of the country” is also true if the actual figures (N1.2 trillion in 2016 and N1.6 trillion in 2017) are taken in real value. In no previous year was up to N1 trillion actually released for capital projects in a budget year!

The former Minister of Finance and a current member of the Board of Twitter, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was alleged to have endorsed the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari for a second term ahead of the national elections in 2019. It is claimed that Mrs Okonjo-Iweala made this disclosure at the “UN Summit in Mauritania”.

A popular online news platform with questionable journalistic practices carries the post:

“Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Speech at the UN Summit in Mauritania:

‘2019 Presidential election is fast approaching. The enemies of this nation are uniting. They are planning to come back to power and hold this country in ransom again.

– The media are angry. Why? There is no more free money from the government.

– The Ex generals are murmuring. Why? There is no sign President Buhari will renew contracts for their oil blocks.

– Socio-cultural groups are grumbling. Why? No more Ghana must go bags of money to support Buhari.

– The Royal Fathers are shouting. Why? Buhari did not pay homage with cars and cash gifts.

– The Legislators are not cooperating. Why? No more budget padding and bribes before passing of budgets.

– Corrupt Religious leaders are lamenting. Why? No more shady arms contracts.

– Corrupt Civil Servants are not supportive, Why? No more corrupt practices. BVN and TSA have exposed their sharp practices.

– The spoilt kids are bitter. Why? PMB has made people to understand that their parents are not that rich.

Having realized the set of people that want to set this country ablaze because of their controversial ways of living, I pray that Almighty God should help President Muhammadu Buhari overcome all these obstacles and take Nigeria to the promised land.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WE STAND WITH A MAN OF HONOR, CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY.”

VERIFICATION OF CLAIM

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was contacted and in a message through her Personal Assistant, she denied making such statements. Mr Paul Nwabuiku, speaking on behalf of the former Finance Minister said:

“The former finance minister did not say such. There are fake inventions including audios that are accredited to her. Some people make audios pretending to be her. People just like causing trouble. I can say it anywhere that the post is fake.”

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala has also been reported to have said that she endorses no one. “Each candidate should run on the credibility of their person and performance, without adding my name to their political campaign”, says the former Minister.

It is also noteworthy to add that there was no UN Summit in Mauritania on the 1st of July as claimed by the news site! Instead, it was the 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of Government of the African Union (AU), otherwise known as the AU Summit which held on July 1st 2018 in Mauritania. The AU Summit theme was tagged: “Winning the Fight against Corruption, A sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”.

CONCLUSION

This claim is FALSE as debunked by Mrs Okonjo-Iweala. There was no UN Summit at Mauritania and Mrs Okonjo-Iweala has denied endorsing any politician.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, 29th May 2018 addressed the nation in commemoration of the 19th year of Nigeria’s democracy and the 3rd Anniversary of his administration. In his speech, he made a number of claims which may or may not be true, false or just plain exaggeration.

CLAIM 1: N200 BILLION HAS BEEN SAVED FROM ELIMINATION OF GHOST WORKERS

BUHARI’S WORDS:

“The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has realized Billions of Naira being saved from maintenance fee payable to banks. N200 Billion has also been saved from elimination of ghost workers in public service.”

FACTS!

This claim has been made severally by the government, even though there is no publicly available documentation to support the claim. As a result, we have already sent Freedom of Information letters to the Ministry of Finance to demand details of the amount of money that have been saved from the elimination of ghost workers in the public service.

Until we are able to get the official figures from the Ministry of Finance, this claim remains UNPROVEN.

CLAIM 2: 30% OF THE 2016 BUDGET WAS ALLOCATED FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURE FOR THE FIRST TIME

BUHARI’S WORDS:

“In 2016, Government executed an expansionary budget and developed the Strategic Implementation Plan. For the first time, 30% of the budget was earmarked for capital expenditure which represents an upward review when compared with the 2015 budget. The SIP was followed by the development of a comprehensive medium-term plan – the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 – 2020.”

FACTS!

It is worthy of note that this is not the first time the president will make this claim. In 2015 while he was presenting the 2016 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly, President Buhari said “for the first time in many years, capital expenditure will represent 30% of our total budget”.

However, according to the Budget Office of the Federation, in at least three years since 2008, there had been more than 30% budgetary allocation for capital projects in Nigeria.

In 2008, under Umaru Musa Yaradua’s government, capital project allocation was actually 35% of the total budget size, a figure which is 7% higher than the 2016 capital expenditure budget.

Also in 2013, the capital project allocation of the budget was 31.7%.

It is also worth reiterating that the 2016 budget, as approved by President Buhari has an aggregate expenditure of N6,060,677,358,227 (N6 trillion) and the total release for capital projects, according to the Accountant General, was N1,219,471,747,443 (N1.2 trillion) which then translates to only 20% actually spent on Capital Projects.

To remove any element of doubt as to the clarity of the President’s statement, we also checked to see if he meant “the first time in his administration” which would refer to 2015-2018. If that is the case, the statement would still be FALSE as even though the 2018 budget was passed by the National Assembly with a total expenditure of N9.1 trillion out of which N2.8 trillion (30%) would be set aside for capital projects, there had actually been an instance of 30% allocation during his administration.

In 2017, a total expenditure of N7.44 trillion was passed by the National Assembly, out of which N2.99 trillion was for non-debt recurrent spending, while N2.36 trillion was budgeted for capital expenditure, the figure which represents 31% of the entire budget.

Therefore, the claim that the 2016 or even 2018 capital expenditure is the highest is not only FALSE but also misleading. More so, although 30% was allocated, the government did not actually spend up to that amount on capital projects.

CLAIM 3: THE ECONOMY GREW BY 1.95% IN 2018

BUHARI’S WORDS:

“The National Bureau of Statistics reports that the economy grew by 1.95% in 1st quarter 2018, which is a good performance when viewed against -0.91 in 1st quarter 2017 and -0.67% in 1st quarter 2016 respectively.”

FACTS!

According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 1.95% (Year-on-Year) in real terms in the First Quarter of 2018. This shows a stronger growth when compared with the First Quarter of 2017 which recorded a growth of -0.91%, indicating an increase of 2.87% points. Compared to the preceding Quarter, there was a decline of -0.16% points from 2.11%.

By the First Quarter of 2018, Aggregate GDP stood at N28,464,322.01 (28.4 million) in nominal terms. This performance is higher when compared to the First Quarter of 2017 which recorded a Nominal GDP Aggregate of N26,028,356.03 (26 million), thus, presenting a positive Year-on-Year nominal growth rate of 9.36%.

As documented by the National Bureau of Statistics, the president’s claim that the economy grew by 1.95% in First Quarter 2018 is TRUE.

CLAIM 4: THE SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND HAS INCREASED BY ADDITIONAL US$650 MILLION

BUHARI’S WORDS:

“The Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million so as to strengthen its investment in local infrastructure, power, health, re-construction of Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, East-West Road (Section V) and the Mambilla Hydro-electric Power project as well as the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge.”

FACTS!

The Sovereign Wealth Fund, set up in 2012 to save and manage excess money made from the sale of crude oil, is managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority. The funds are separated into three namely: the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund which has 40%, Future Generations Fund, also 40% and the Stabilisation Fund which is 20%.

Last week, the Managing Director/CEO of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr Uche Orji confirmed that the transfer of $650 million to the NSIA as seed funding for Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) had been approved.

Therefore, the claim by president Buhari that the Sovereign Wealth Fund project portfolio has been expanded with an injection of US$650 million is TRUE. Nevertheless, we cannot confirm whether the money will be used for the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge or other projects as disclosed by the President.

CLAIM 5: FOREIGN RESERVE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AS OF MAY 2018 AND INFLATIONARY RATE HAS DECLINED SINCE JANUARY 2017

BUHARI’S WORDS:

“Our foreign reserve has improved significantly to 47.5 billion USD as of May 2018 as against 29.6 billion USD in 2015. The inflationary rate has consistently declined every month since January 2017.”

FACTS!

According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria’s external reserves (which consists of official public sector foreign assets used for financing payment imbalances and exchange rate regulation) is steadily growing and currently amounts to US$47.5 billion.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria also shows that the inflation rate in Q1 of 2017 was 18.72%, the highest in Buhari’s administration since May 2015 when the inflation rate was recorded at 9%. Prior to 2015, the inflation rate hovered around 7 to 8.6% for 4 Quarters. In February 2017, the rate fell to 17.78% and ever since the inflation rate has been decreasing and in Q1 2018, it dropped to 13.34%.

Both claims are therefore TRUE!

CLAIM 6: RICE IMPORTATION HAS BEEN REDUCED BY 90%

BUHARI’S WORDS:

“Under agriculture, Nigeria continues to pursue a strategic food security programme built around self-sufficiency and minimization of import dependency. As a result, rice importation from other countries has been cut down by 90% which has a direct impact on foreign reserves.”

FACTS!

There is no documented evidence to back up the president’s claim that Nigeria’s rice import has reduced by 90%. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Nigeria consumes more rice than any African country and is one of the biggest producers and importers of the grain on the continent.

In 2015, the Nigerian government through the Central Bank of Nigeria imposed import restrictions on rice and introduced a borrowing programme to stimulate local rice production while reducing the country’s food import bills, available data from Index Mundi and the United States Department of Agriculture states that rice imports increased from 2.1 million tonnes in 2015 to an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of rice in 2016, 2.6 million tonnes in 2017 and 3.0 million tonnes in 2018.

Also, according to the International Grain Council, rice imports in 2016 was estimated to be 2.1 million tonnes and 2.7million tonnes in 2017. It is estimated that Nigeria’s rice import will be 2.8 million tonnes in 2018.

Therefore, the president’s claim that Nigeria’s rice import has reduced by 90% remains UNPROVEN.

CLAIM 7: THE SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMMES (SIP) HAS RECORDED WINS

BUHARI’S WORDS:

“The Social Investment Programmes (SIP) has been created as a means to graduating our citizens from poverty through capacity building, investment and direct support…The SIP programmes and projects include: Home Grown School Feeding Programme – About 8.2 million pupils are currently being fed from 24 States of the Federation with over 75,000 Catering Staff engaged under the programme, the Conditional Cash Transfer has so far recorded over 297,000 caregivers and being trained by 2,495 Community Facilitators in 21 states… N-Power Job creation Scheme – is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates and has so far recruited 200,000 youths…”

FACTS!

Due to the unavailability of information, DUBAWA has sent a letter to the presidency to request for details of the implementation of the Social Investment Programme. This report will be updated once we obtain sufficient details. However, we have verified the claim that the government is engaging 200,000 youths under its NPOWER programme. Information available on the website of the scheme states that only 200,000 Nigerians have been enrolled so far in the scheme.

So while other claims are unproven, the president’s claim on NPower engaging 200,000 youths is TRUE.

(This report will be updated as new information arises)