CDD Fact Checked: Viral Video of Donald Trump Criticising Nigerians Deemed False
A video purportedly showing former US President Donald Trump berating Nigerians for protesting their country’s situation has been debunked as false. The clip, which has circulated widely on social media platforms, features Trump allegedly saying, “You Nigerians are so ridiculous, Tinubu has been in office barely 10 months working his tail off, and all you people do is whine and whine. You are lucky that it is not me that is your president. I will have the whole bunch of you locked up in prison.”
The video’s spread has been significant, with over 300 shares and 84,000 views across Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It appears to have been shared predominantly by supporters of Tinubu, seemingly to express their disapproval of the criticisms aimed at Tinubu’s administration.
Amidst ongoing discontent over Nigeria’s security and economic challenges, which prompted nationwide protests in February 2024, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) War Room scrutinised the video and found inconsistencies. Notably, the audio does not align with Trump’s lip movements—a common indicator of manipulated footage.
Further investigation revealed a watermark stating “made with TryParrotAi.com,” a text-to-speech application that allows users to create videos using celebrity voices. The CDD War Room also found other videos using the same footage for different content, confirming the video’s artificial nature.
Verdict: The video is a fabrication, created using artificial intelligence technology. It does not represent a genuine statement from Donald Trump and should be regarded as misleading.
Nigeria Not the Only Country Without a Museum in Its Capital City – CDD
On March 4, former Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani claimed that Nigeria stands alone as the only nation without a museum in its capital. This statement came in light of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Qatar, where he was guided through the National Museum of Qatar by its director, Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Thani.
The assertion raises the question: Does Nigeria’s capital lack a museum?
Globally, national museums are often situated in a country’s cultural or commercial hub. For instance, while Pretoria is South Africa’s administrative capital, its National Museum is located in Cape Town. Similarly, Nigeria’s National Museum is found in Lagos, not Abuja, the capital.
However, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) War Room’s investigation reveals that Abuja is home to the National Space Museum, situated on the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Expressway. This museum showcases exhibits related to rocketry and astronomy and provides virtual reality experiences.
Moreover, Abuja boasts the Discovery Museum, Nigeria’s first digital museum, which opened in July 2021. Located in Wuse 2, it features a range of physical artefacts and a digital art gallery. Another notable establishment is Retro Africa in Asokoro, a hub for art lovers established in 2015.
Senator Sani’s claim is thus misleading. Not only does Abuja have museums, but there are also capitals around the world where the national museum is not located within the city limits.
False Claim Circulates About Edo APC Gubernatorial Candidates Senate Bill Sponsorship
As the off-cycle governorship election in Edo state approaches, a WhatsApp broadcast message alleging that Monday Okpebholo, the APC gubernatorial candidate, has not sponsored any bills in the 10th Nigerian Senate has been circulating. Okpebholo, representing Edo Central senatorial district, secured the Edo APC guber ticket after winning the party’s rerun primary election in February 2024.
Following the inconclusive initial primary due to parallel candidates, a supplementary election was conducted by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The CDD War Room conducted a thorough check on the National Assembly’s official website, revealing a document from the Senate bills department displaying the progression of sponsored bills from June 2023 to June 2027. On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, the document indicated that Okpebholo sponsored the “Agriculture Research Council of Nigeria Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023,” which was first read on the Senate floor on October 18, 2023.
A more recent bills progression chart dated Thursday, March 14, 2024, showed that the bill was pending a second reading, contradicting the claim that Okpebholo had not sponsored any bills.
The CDD War Room’s verdict confirmed that the information circulating was false, as the documented evidence proved that Okpebholo had indeed sponsored a bill in the Nigerian Senate.
CDD: Peter Obi Not First Nigerian Candidate to Publicly Detail Campaign Funds
On February 15, 2024, the digital landscape of Nigerian politics was abuzz with a claim that quickly spread like wildfire across WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter). The message in question posited that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, had set a democratic precedent by being the first to publicly disclose his campaign funding. The claim resonated with many, as evidenced by its impressive engagement metrics: over 353,000 views, 17,000 likes, and upwards of 5,600 reposts.
Is Peter Obi truly the first Nigerian presidential candidate to have openly accounted for his election campaign funds?
Transparency in the financing of political parties and election campaigns is a linchpin of a robust and enduring democracy. It’s a legal imperative, as outlined by the Electoral Act, which compels political parties to submit their annual financial reports to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This requirement is designed to prevent the undue influence of money on the electoral process.
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) War Room took it upon itself to fact-check this viral claim. The investigation revealed that the narrative surrounding Peter Obi’s disclosure is not unique. On April 7, 2019, Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC) had already set a precedent by releasing a detailed account of the funds raised for his campaign. The Sowore 2019 Campaign Organisation’s report showed an expenditure of N157,884,936.98 for the presidential campaign, which spanned 50 weeks and reached across 36 states and over 15 countries. The report provided specifics, including town hall rentals and accessory costs.
In a similar vein, on June 20, 2023, Sowore, once again the AAC’s presidential candidate, offered a transparent breakdown of his party’s campaign expenses during the 2023 general elections. This act of transparency was communicated through a statement from the Sowore Political Action Committee (SPAC), which also encouraged other presidential candidates to emulate this practice.
The investigation further uncovered that on February 7, 2019, Oby Ezekwesili, the then-presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), had also made her campaign finance public.
Despite exiting the presidential race about a month before the elections, her campaign had incurred about N48 million in expenses over five months. The breakdown, available on Ezekwesili’s campaign website, included detailed allocations for travel, media, publicity, mobilisation, meetings, logistics, and the production of campaign materials.
The claim that Peter Obi is the first presidential candidate in Nigeria to publicly give an account of his campaign finances is False.
The CDD War Room confirms that both Omoyele Sowore and Oby Ezekwesili had previously communicated their campaign finances to the public, thereby invalidating the claim.
CDD Fact checked: FG Releases Names, BDCs Sponsoring Terrorists
A broadcast message titled “FULL LIST: FG Releases Names, BDCs Sponsoring Terrorists” circulated on WhatsApp on March 20, 2024, listing nine individuals and six corporate entities, alleged to be involved in financing terrorism.
The CDD War Room investigation confirmed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee convened on March 18, 2024, resulting in specific individuals and entities being recommended for sanctions due to their suspected roles in terrorism financing. Subsequently, the Attorney General of the Federation, with presidential approval, designated these individuals and entities for inclusion on the Nigeria sanctions list.
Documents titled “Implementation of Designation of Subjects linked to Terrorism Financing and Listing of Same on the Nigerian List” and “Designation and Native Summary of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024” were released by the Nigeria Sanctions Committee through the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), detailing the names of the identified individuals and corporate entities.
Among those listed, Tukur Mamu is undergoing prosecution by the Federal Government for allegedly supporting the terrorists responsible for the Abuja-Kaduna train attack in March 2022.
Verdict: TRUE
The CDD War Room affirmed the authenticity of the documents released by the NFIU following the Nigeria Sanctions Committee meeting, validating the accuracy of the widely shared list implicating individuals and corporate entities in funding terrorism in Nigeria.
Allen Onyema tell NFF not to employ any idiot as Super Eagles coach CDD confirm
Following a viral claim on X (formerly Twitter) that Allen Onyema, CEO of Air Peace and a fervent Super Eagles supporter, warned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) against hiring an “idiot” as the Super Eagles Coach, the CDD War Room conducted a thorough investigation.
Onyema expressed his views in an exclusive interview with City People Magazine on March 23, 2024. He advocated for the consideration of Nigerian coaches for the Super Eagles, highlighting the need to support local talent and combat a colonial mentality that undervalues indigenous expertise in the sports sector.
He said, “ We are suffering from a colonial mentality in this country. We don’t appreciate our own. We don’t appreciate ourselves. With people like you (Segun Odegbami) and an array of other sports superstars, soccer stars produced in this country, I don’t see the reason why we cannot have a look into the country and get somebody out there that will take on the Super Eagles. As far as I am concerned, Eguavoen succeeded to some level. A lot of them succeeded. The truth is that when a foreign coach bows out from the group stage, nobody talks, when a Nigerian coach bows out from Quarter finals or semi finals, oh if it had been a foreign coach, we would have won the cup.
“Nobody gives Nigerian coaches a chance. Nigerians should rise up against any NFF, that goes again to get any idiot as a foreign coach. We don’t need a foreign coach, let us grow our own, let us even save the Naira. Let us grow our own and give the Nigerian coach the same incentives, you’re giving the foreign coach and see them excel. I do it in my place of work…” he said
Verdict: TRUE
The CDD War Room confirmed that Allen Onyema did indeed make the statement that the NFF should not bring any idiot as Super Eagles coach and expressed a firm stance in favour of supporting Nigerian coaching talents. Should the NFF opt for a foreign coach, Onyema pledged to fund legal action to challenge the decision, underscoring his commitment to promoting and nurturing local coaching expertise.
