Recently, an X(Twitter) user alleged that Nigeria’s Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said that over N800 billion was spent on the change of the national anthem which was changed last week.
The tweet as at the time of this fact check has garnered over 500,000 interactions.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu had on Wednesday, 29 May, 2024, signed into law the bill to revert to Nigeria’s old national anthem which was dropped by a military government in 1978.
The decision by the President to revert to the old anthem was hinged on his belief that it symbolised ‘Nigeria’s diversity’, despite public criticism.
Claim: Nigeria’s Minister, Bagudu said N814bn was spent on the National Anthem
Verification
CDD War Room conducted an advanced google search to determine if such a news item was reported by any reputable media outlets. This turned out negative as we instead found that the post had began gaining momentum and was being shared on other platforms including on Facebook.
However, there was no statement or interview attributed to the Minister making this claim.
Bolaji Adebiyi, the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister, debunked the claim as false, stating that the minister had no involvement with the change of anthem. He emphasized that it was the responsibility of the Minister of Information to make any statements regarding the anthem and highlighted that Bagudu’s core mandate had to do with the budget.
Additionally, another source from the ministry, who chose to remain anonymous, further debunked the claim, adding that the anthem already exists and there was no need for a budget for it.
Verdict
False. There is no record of the minister of budget making any statement concerning the national anthem. CDD War Room also spoke with the Minister’s SSA who further debunked the claim.
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