1. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: NIGERIA’S BUDGET HAS GROWN BY ONLY 14%, FROM
U$27 BILLION IN 2014 TO $31 BILLION IN 2025.
CLAIMS FROM AFRICA CHECK
Claim 1:
Nigeria’s budget has grown by only 14%, from U$27 billion in 2014 to $31 billion in 2025.
BACKGROUND
Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, recently criticized Nigeria’s budget growth over
the past decade, he mentioned that it has not kept pace with the demographic change and
the economic adjustments of the country. He claimed Nigeria’s budget only increased by
14% from $27 billion in 2014 to $31 billion in 2025.
VERIFICATION
A document from Budget Office of the Federation showed that by 20.9% from 2014 to 2025
and not 14% has claimed by Chidoka. That’s an incorrect claim.
VERDICT: WRONG
2. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: NIGERIA’S POPULATION HAS GROWN AT A RATE OF
MORE THAN 14% IN THE PAST 10 YEARS.
Claim 2:
Nigeria’s population has grown at a rate of more than 14% in the past 10 years.
BACKGROUND
In the same interview, Osita Chidoka claimed that Nigeria’s population has grown at a rate
over 14%. The claim was made in context of concerns for demographic and economic
changes.
VERIFICATION
The last time Nigeria had an official population census was 2006 but a reliable agency
Nigeria Bureau of statistics (NBS) estimated population at 2014 to be 176.4 million in 2014
and it has risen to 216.7 million in 2022. That’s a 22.87% increase. His claim is correct.
VERDICT: CORRECT
3. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY HANDED OVER A CLEAN
BALANCE SHEET TO THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL DEBT
AND NOW WE ARE BACK TO WHERE WE WERE BEFORE THE DEBT FORGIVENESS.
Claim 3:
The Peoples Democratic Party handed over a clean balance sheet to the All Progressives
Congress in terms of international debt and now we are back to where we were before the
debt forgiveness.
BACKGROUND
Chidoka claimed that his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), left a "clean balance
sheet" when it left power in 2015, criticising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for
increasing Nigeria’s debt.
The PDP governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015 and achieved a landmark in 2006. This
agreement with the Paris Club, an informal group of official lenders, reduced Nigeria’s
external debt by $30 billion, including an $18 billion write-off, after paying $12 billion in
eligible debt.
VERIFICATION
In 2015, when the PDP handed over power, Nigeria’s external debt was N2.11 trillion ($10.3
billion), with a total public debt of N12.6 trillion $63.8 billion). A document from Debt
Management Office proves his claim to be wrong.
VERDICT: WRONG
4. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: NO STATE GOVERNOR IN NIGERIA RECEIVES LESS THAN N3
BILLION ANNUALLY IN SECURITY VOTES.
Claim 4:
No state governor in Nigeria receives less than N3 billion annually in security votes.
BACKGROUND
Chidoka suggested that state governors could contribute to the police budget. He then
claimed that no governor in Nigeria received less than N3 billion annually as security votes.
Security votes are monthly funds given to the president, governors and local government
chairpersons for urgent security needs.
VERIFICATION
No credible data or media reports confirmed the figures Chidoka mentioned. So his claims
are not proven to be true or not.
VERDICT: UNPROVEN
5. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: ALIKO DANGOTE DECLARED HIS SUPPORT FOR PETER OBI AHEAD
OF 2027 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
CLAIMS FROM DUBAWA
Claim 1:
A facebook page “Dailyexcessive” that Aliko Dangote declared his support for Peter Obi
ahead of 2027 Presidential Election.
BACKGROUND
Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State and 2023 presidential candidate of the
Labour Party, gained widespread popularity, particularly among young Nigerians who rallied
behind him under the “Obi-dient” movement.
As conversations around the 2027 general elections begin to kick off in different corners, a
Facebook page, ‘dailyexcessive’ on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2025, claimed that Dangote,
Nigeria’s richest entrepreneur, had declared support for Obi ahead of the 2027 elections.
VERIFICATION
No searches on Google and other relevant search engines proved this report to be true. No
post on the official social media accounts of both Obi and Dangote proved this claim to be
true.
VERDICT: WRONG
6. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: NIGERIAN ARMY PERSONNEL HAVE INVADED AND ATTACKED
UNARMED CITIZENS IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA.
Claim 2:
An X user “Uchechukwubiaf4” posted a video on the platform on February 4, 2025, claims
that Nigerian army personnel have invaded and attacked unarmed citizens in Southeast
Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
The age-long fight for an indigenous country in the Southeast has destabilised the
tranquillity once enjoyed in the region. Since the continuous agitation for an independent
state by Nnamdi Kalu in 2014, the Southeast has been thrown into a state of chaos, resulting
in a myriad of violent attacks, kidnappings, and social unrest.
Although these attacks are usually reported to have been carried out by some unknown
gunmen, the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group have linked these
attacks to the Nigerian military.
Against this backdrop, the X user shared the video claiming that Nigerian soldiers have
attacked a state in the Southeast. The 21-second video uploaded on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025,
captures two soldiers firing sporadically and aggressively at residential buildings.
The user captioned the video, “Nigeria army is shooting directly into the homes of unarmed
and defenceless people of Biafra origin in Eastern Nigeria. Fulani terrorists attack and kill
locals, and when they try to defend themselves, the Nigerian army intervenes to protect the
terrorists.”
VERIFICATION
First of all, after using Google lens to search the video, found out that it’s an old video from
2021 posted by various sources. Also, The Sun newspaper edition of November 2 reported a
story about the incident stating that the 82 edition of the Nigerian Army in Enugu denied the
people in the video as being personnel of the Nigerian Army. The post is misleading.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
7. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) RESULT IN THE
RECENTLY CONCLUDED ONDO GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION IS THE WORST THE PARTY EVER
EXPERIENCED IN THE STATE.
Claim 3:
A Facebook user, Gbenga Fasole Ilutitun, claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
result in the recently concluded Ondo governorship election is the worst the party ever
experienced in the state.
BACKGROUND
After the result of the Ondo gubernatorial election conducted on November 16, 2024. The
Facebook user mentioned above claimed it’s the worst result the PDP has had in the state
since contesting election after its formation. The party had previously won election in the
state in 2003 and 2007.
VERIFICATION
After close examination of the previous gubernatorial elections in Ondo state. It’s correct
that the last election conducted was PDP’s worst.
VERDICT: CORRECT
8. REPORT TO FACT CHECK: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ORDER A CRACKDOWN ON
NIGERIAN POLITICIANS.
Claim 4:
Did U.S. President Donald Trump order a crackdown on Nigerian politicians?
BACKGROUND
Since being sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed numerous
executive orders, with the White House reporting over 300 directives to fulfil his campaign
promises. These orders primarily focus on issues such as illegal immigration, the federal
workforce, energy policies, environmental regulations, gender and diversity policies,
abortion, and military affairs.
However, a review of Trump’s speeches and policy actions reveals no evidence of an
executive order or directive targeting Nigerian politicians. If such a move had occurred, it
would have been widely reported by credible news outlets, yet no such reports exist.
VERIFICATION
No evidence has shown that Buhari owns a property in New York and no available credible
reports made about any order from President Trump.
VERDICT: WRONG
268 total views, 1 views today
