A weekly newsletter that takes a closer look at the significance of truth and falsehood in today’s news stories.
1. Buhari Falsy Earning N30 Million Annually
Earlier this year, the 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. While reacting to this, a Twitter user, Ayobami (@dondekojo), insinuated the president earns ₦30 million in a year. Read our fact check here.
2. Pfizer Vaccine And The Acclaimed 1,291 Side Effects
Twitter user Deez (@Deezeytop) shared the link to a story that alleged the Pfizer vaccine has 1,291 side effects. The link was shared as a response to a Tweet by DUBAWA announcing that Nicki Minaj’s claim on COVID-19 vaccine side effects is false and misleading. Deez requested that the tweet by DUBAWA be removed as it was spreading misinformation claiming the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed these side effects. Read our fact check here.
3. PDP’s Victory At The 2022 FCT Polls
On February 13, 2022, a Twitter user @Ahmed_Jimeta1 claimed that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had clinched all the chairmanship and councilorship seats at the just-concluded 2022 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) elections. This post generated 165 Retweets, 25 Quote Tweets and 615 Likes. DUBAWA checked the official results from INEC and found the Twitter user’s post to be completely false. Read our fact check here.
4. FG Funding ASUU With NYSC Allowance
A widely shared screenshot of a breaking news headline suggested that the Federal Government has agreed to pay ASUU with the allowances of graduates enrolled in the one-year mandatory programme of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). DUBAWA checked the screenshot and found it was created using an online tool called, Sweary.com. Read our fact check here.
5. Multiple False Claims On Twitter Despite Ban
On June 4, 2021, Twitter was banned by the Nigerian government after a tweet posted by President Muhammadu Buhari, which threatened to punish regional secessionists, was removed. Despite the seven-month ban, Twitter was still a major source of mis- and disinformation in the second half of 2021. Here are some of the significant falsehoods that emanated from Twitter fact-checked by DUBAWA.
