By Pascal Ibe
Misinformation has continued to ravage Nigeria’s social space after the proclamation of the State of Emergency in Rivers State last week.
These actors of misinformation and disinformation intentionally publish articles, videos, or images that are unrelated to the recent happenings in Rivers State to gain more followers and post engagements.
Recall that last week, FACTWATCH Nigeria fact-checked a misleading video of the suspended governor, Sliminalayi Fubara, vowing not to hand over power to the new Sole Administrator.
On Monday, Facebook and Instagram users shared a video of Nigeria’s ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing federal lawmakers of collecting bribes and claimed it was recent a move by the lawmakers to approve the State of Emergency in Rivers State.
A popular columnist and social media influencer, Ugo Egbujuo posted the video on his Facebook page. It has already generated hundreds of likes and comments.
A watermark text on the video reads, “President Obasanjo didn’t come to play. He is telling federal lawmakers they were paid to approve the State of emergency.”
Instagram users also shared the video here and here.
However, some credible news organizations in Nigeria also claimed that the video was recent.
Daily Sun, News Expressed Nigeria and TheNewsGuru published the story.
See the unarchived links here here and here.
Rivers State Of Emergency Background
President Tinubu had, on March 18, declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing the breakdown of governance as a result of the war of attrition between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state lawmakers, as well as attacks on oil facilities in the state.
Tinubu also suspended Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly.
He thereafter swore in a retired Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ette Ibas, as the state’s sole administrator.
The president relied on Section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to back his action.
Verification
First, a Google Image Reverse Search showed that this video first appeared online in August 2024 when some House Of Representatives lawmakers, led by Ugochinyere Ikenga, visited Obasanjo in Ogun State.
According to the reports, the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was aimed at discussing and proffering solutions to the current state of the nation, which led to a nationwide protest against the government in August 2024.
Obasanjo called for moral rearmament and positive reorientation among Nigerians, describing the current situation in the country as sitting on a keg of gunpowder.
He said it was “immoral” for federal lawmakers to determine their salaries and allowances. Instead, he said, the RMAFC should be saddled with this responsibility.
Check similar reports here and here.
Further checks by FACTWATCH Nigeria revealed that one of the reasons for the resurgence of the video was that SYMFONI Television recirculated the old video as recent via its YouTube channel on Sunday.. It was observed that the video garnered over 16k views on YouTube.
However, Channels Television published the full video here on 10th August 2024.
Verdict
The claim is MISLEADING.
Findings have already indicated that the video was first posted online in August 2024 as Obasanjo had yet to make any comments on the recent State of Emergency declaration in Rivers State. Therefore, the video is unrelated to the claim.
