A document with the letter head of the federal ministry of women affairs, purported to have originated from the ministry, is being circulated across social media platforms. The memo, dated January 29, 2023, and addressed to “all honourable ministers,” contains an invitation to the birthday ceremony of “Double Chief Kennedy Ohanenye,” the spouse of Uju Kennedy, minister of women affairs.
This development follows the recent controversies surrounding members of Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, notably the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, who is one of the seven women in the president’s ministerial lineup.
The circulated document has sparked reactions across social media, with some credible news agencies reporting it as factual.
Claim: Is this birthday invitation from the Ministry of Women Affairs?
Verification
CDD War Room verified the document, and here is what we found:
1. The lettering of the document appears pixelated, which indicates potential manipulation. CDD War Room therefore subjected the image to an error level analysis (ELA) on fotoforensics, and the result confirmed possible alterations.
An untouched, unaltered image will not have colours reflected in the analysed result
2. An examination of the writing style in the memo revealed an irregularity: the timestamp on an official document should not be written as “dot” ,”3pm dot.” This indicates a departure from the standard format.
3. The date on the document, January 29, 2023, raised suspicions. Notably, as of that date, the Nigerian general elections had not taken place, Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet ministers still had their portfolios, and the Tinubu administration had not yet been inaugurated. Furthermore, as of January 29, 2023, the Minister of Women Affairs was Pauline Tallen.
4. The birthday date is stated as February 4, 2024, implying a leap from 2023 to 2024, skipping the celebration for the year 2023.
5. The invitation addressed to “All Honourable Ministers,” rather than extending personal invitations to each cabinet member, does seem unusual and lacks the customary protocol for official communications.
In conclusion, the CDD War Room spoke with one of the minister’s special assistants, who vehemently refuted the news, branding it as false. The assistant, whose phone number was retrieved from the circulated document, however, refused to disclose his identity. He only confirmed being a special assistant to the minister.
While dissociating from the alleged invitation, he recommended visiting the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, the alleged venue of the birthday celebration (on Sunday), to ascertain whether the said event would take place.
Verdict: FALSE
The CDD War Room identified several discrepancies that show the document has been falsified and lacks authenticity. We spoke with an aide of the minister who refuted the document and told us to conduct a physical check at the venue on the said date. However, we found a credible media organisation reporting the slated event and document as factual.
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