According to 2021 figures from Statista, 51.4% of Nigerians are internet users; a figure that has increased by 8% between 2017 and 2021. By 2026, the percentage of the Nigerian population that will use the internet at least once a month is expected to reach 60%. WhatsApp and Facebook are the most common platforms Nigerians …
Nigeria’s National Assembly has once again embarked on a series of public hearings regarding potential amendments to the 1999 Constitution. Several key issues continue to be debated, including federal restructuring, local government autonomy, state police, and national security. The substance of potential reforms is, of course, crucial, but given public sentiment that the 1999 Constitution …
Read more “Nigeria’s Constitutional Review: The Continuing Quest for a Legitimate Grundnorm”
VERDICT: Misleading CLAIM: On April 21, 2020, fact-checkers at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) spotted a trending report with the headline, Nigerian Naira fast becoming the weakest currency in Africa. The claim which was widely shared on social media including WhatsApp groups gave a breakdown of the value of the Naira to currencies …
Read more “FACT-CHECK: Nigerian Naira Not Weakest Currency in Africa”
Tushen Magana: A ranar 2 ga watan Maris din shekara ta 2021, wata mai amfani da dandalin Facebook mai suna Amanda Chisom ta wallafa wani hoto day a nuna wasu shanu na cin wani tumatir mai tarin yawan gaske da ke jibge a gefen hanya. Hoton ya alamta cewa an dauke shi ne a arewacin …
Read more “Hoton Da aka Ga Shanu Na Cin Timatir a Gefen Hanya Ba a Najeriya aka Dauke Shi Ba!”
VERDICT: FALSE CLAIM: On March 2, 2021, a Facebook user Amanda Chisom shared a picture of cattle eating a heap of tomatoes by a roadside. The post created the impression that it was from Northern Nigeria as a result of the ongoing food blockade from the north to the south in Nigeria. Several social media …
Read more “FACT-CHECK: Image of Cows Eating Tomatoes From Nigeria?”
The Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassan, on Friday, February 12, warned the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris administration to desist from forcing African countries to choose between the United States of America, China, or Russia. Hassan said the Biden Administration must focus on strengthening its relationship with African countries …
VERDICT: False CLAIM: A screenshot of a tweet claimed to be from popular Nigerian Journalist Kiki Mordi went viral last week. The tweet read claimed that Mordi said that there is nothing working with a lady’s decision to abort her baby if she finds out it’s male. “I for none would prefer a female child …
Read more “FACT-CHECK: Did Nigerian Journalist, Kiki Mordi Tweet About Aborting Male Children?”
The oil-rich Niger Delta region has been a policy and political challenge to successive administrations in Nigeria since the 1960s. Between 1999 and 2015 it featured prominently in the policy priorities of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This has not been the case with President Muhammadu Buhari, whose election to office in 2015 was based …
Read more “DELTA DILEMMAS: Buhari and Nigeria's South-South Zone”
Restoring peace and rebuilding the communities ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency must include a justice component. When legitimate grievances are not redressed timely, justly, and fairly, then impunity and injustice can become formidable obstacles to restoring peace and rebuilding communities. In fact, unaddressed grievances have been identified as one of the major push factors …
Read more “Transitional Justice Initiative in North-East Nigeria (A Training Manual)”
According to the Nigerian Electricity System Operator on July 16, 2020, nine of the country’s 27 power plants were idle, leaving a total generation capacity of 2,079.1 megawatts stranded. The system operator put the nation’s installed generation capacity at 12,910.40MW; available capacity at 7,652.60MW; transmission wheeling capacity at 8,100MW; and the peak generation ever attained …
VERDICT: FALSE CLAIM: On June 1st 2020, fact-checkers at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) received multiple copies of a video via WhatsApp for verification. The video was captioned “NCDC Workers in one of the Isolation Centres, they were busy making Love, not aware that the CCTV Camera was recording all their moves !!!’’ …
This edition of West Africa Insight looks ahead to forthcoming elections in Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire and Guinea and explores the ways in which new and old media are continuing to shape discourses about elections and democracy in Ghana and Nigeria.
VERDICT: False and Misleading CLAIM: CDD Fact checkers spotted a viral message trending on WhatsApp on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 with claim the that there is a new communication regulation which allows the Nigeria government to monitor a wide range of communication channels including phone calls, WhatsApp conversations, Twitter, Facebook, all social media and forums. …
Read more “Is Nigerian Government Monitoring Citizens’ Phone and all Social Media Conversations?”
Verdict: FALSE CLAIM: CDD fact checkers have spotted a trending news report by the Midwest Herald, a Community Newspaper in Nigeria. The news story has been sighted on social media platforms including WhatsApp. The report claimed that the Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole is plotting the return of Pastor Osagie …
Read more “Did Oshiomole Plot the Return of Ize-Iyamu to APC?”
WhatsApp both strengthens and undermines Nigerian democracy, says UK-Nigeria research team Research findings were released today by a UK-Nigerian research team examining the role of WhatsApp in Nigeria’s 2019 elections. Drawing on citizen surveys and interviews with political campaigns, the report underlines the ways in which WhatsApp has promoted the spread of “fake news” around …
Read more “WhatsApp and Nigeria’s 2019 Elections: Press Release”
The importance of increasing inorganic fertiliser use in subSaharan Africa is generally accepted and fertiliser subsidy schemes have existed in Nigeria since the 1970s. These have typically been both expensive and unsuccessful, using up to 40% of the agricultural budget. In recent years, Nigerian governments have attempted two approaches: the first, the Growth Enhancement Support …
Read more “Increasing Agricultural Productivity through Fertiliser use”
VERDICT: TRUE THE CLAIM: A claim has been spotted circulating on social media, including WhatsApp that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which is the main opposition party in Nigeria had 15 governors inaugurated on May 29, 2019 and the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) had 14. THE FACTS: On May 29, 2019, (former …
Verdict: Partially True The Claim: A WhatsApp post questioning the monetary value of the new minimum wage has gone viral. The post reads; “Nigeria minimum wage in 2010 was N18, 000 ($120). In 2019, the minimum wage is N30, 000 ($83). They won’t show you this”. Following the signing of the new National Minimum Wage Act by …
Read more “Was Nigeria minimum wage $120 in 2010 more valued than $83 in 2019?”
Verdict: FALSE The Claim: CDD has spotted a story claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has threatened to award the election victory to the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 presidential elections. The claim was made on April 9, 2019, by the dailyadvent. It says that PDP and …
Read more “Did INEC Threaten to Award Presidential Election Victory to Atiku?”
Verdict: FALSE The Claim: Following a report by reuters.com on the 2nd of April, that Exxon Mobil recently held talks on the sale of a suite of oil and gas fields in Nigeria as the company focuses on new developments in US shale and Guyana. There have been speculations on social media platforms that Exxon …