The number of active social media users in Nigeria has risen from 27 million, in 2019, to 36 million ahead of the 2023 elections. But given the challenge of prevailing misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, and the way such disinformation can permeate into the media more generally1, greater access to online information does...
Author: CDD Election War Room (Centre For Democracy And Development)
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FACT CHECK: El-Rufai’s Claim on Percentage of Account Owners in Nigeria Inaccurate
Claim 1: Only 34% of Nigerians have bank accounts Verdict: Inaccurate Context: The Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, recently stated that only 34 percent of Nigerians owned bank accounts. The governor, who made the comment when he met with the traders association in the state. He said it is a deliberate conspiracy against the...
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Did Buhari Say Customers’ Deposits Will be Used to Repay Loans?
CLAIM: Buhari said that bank customers deposit will be used to repay loans. VERDICT: False CONTEXT: A post has been trending on social media, especially Facebook, insinuating that President Muhammadu Buhari will utilise monies in customers’ bank accounts to repay Nigeria’s multilateral and local loans. The post, which is also circulating on WhatsApp, purportedly came...
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FACT CHECK: Was Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Highest Under Obasanjo?
Claim: The highest inflation rate in the history of Nigeria was recorded under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. Verdict: False Context: During an interview with Arise TV on January 16, 2023, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo said “This is not the highest inflation rate. In 2005 under...
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FACT CHECK: Was there no fuel scarcity in last 7yrs as APC youth leader claimed?
CLAIM: There was no fuel scarcity in the last 7 years VERDICT: FALSE CONTEXT: The APC national youth leader on his Twitter handle, @dayoisreal, alleged sabotage in the current fuel scarcity, claiming that it was deliberately targeted at ruining the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections. He wrote: “Over the last 7years, we...
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FACT SHIELD: All you need to know about pre-election opinion polls
By Aisha Ibrahim Abba & Raji Olatunji As the 2023 general elections draw nearer, opinion polls are becoming more popular and will get even a lot more popular in the days ahead, as more organisations conduct and publish results from these polls. But what exactly are opinion polls? How relevant are they to the forthcoming...
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FACT CHECK: Are you eligible to vote without PVC?
CLAIM: A message going viral on WhatsApp has given the impression that citizens can vote without their permanent voter’s card (PVC). “The Good News!!! Anyone who didn’t see their PVC should confirm their names on http://cvr.inecnigeria.org/vvs Once your name is there, copy the last 5 digits of your VIN and keep it handy. With that,...
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FACT CHECK: Did Godwin Emefiele call out DSS DG for a fight?
CLAIM: The governor of the Central Bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele, has called out the Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr Yusuf Bichi, to a fight. CONTEXT: A 20-second video shows Mr Emefiele addressing a press conference on the outcome of the monetary policy committee. The video suggests that the governor of the...
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FACT SHIELD: Can you vote without PVC? Here’s all you need to know
There have been claims that Nigerians may be able to vote without their permanent voter cards (PVC) since their details are captured in the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This is false, INEC has repeatedly made it known that citizens will not be able to vote without PVCs. Here is a breakdown...
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FACT CHECK: Is Dangote Refinery Due for Commissioning on January 24?
FACT CHECK: Is Dangote Refinery Due for Commissioning on January 24?