At least 32 people, including children, were killed in two incidents in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothing distributed at annual Christmas events
The stampedes caused sorrow and concern as public officials issued messages of condolence
Amid the tragedy, a well-followed social media user insinuated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu showed insensitivity to the feelings of the bereaved families; however, TheTalk.NG’s fact-check uncovered an attempt to mislead the public
TheTalk.NG journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 4 years of experience in fact-checking.
Ikeja, Lagos state – An X (formerly Twitter) user with a considerable amount of social media following, claimed that President Bola Tinubu is “a critical failure in governance”.
The verified X user, @PO_GrassRootM, alleged that President Tinubu ‘danced and celebrated’ in Lagos state “while Nigerians are dying struggling for a half bag of rice” – an apparent reference to the recent stampedes in Oyo and Anambra states, as well as Abuja.
The person who made the claim is a staunch supporter of Peter Obi, the presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election.
The 22-second clip portraying Tinubu in a bad light which was published on Saturday, December 21, has garnered over 32, 600 views, 50+ replies, more than 160 reposts, and over 360 likes.
“Bola Tinubu a critical failure in governance dancing and celebrating in Lagos State while Nigerians are dying struggling for a half bag of rice.”
Given the virality of the claim, TheTalk.NG fact-checked it.
Video of Tinubu from January 2023
TheTalk.NG‘s investigation showed the video posted by @PO_GrassRootM was from the January 2023 presidential campaign event held by the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth directorate and not of Tinubu on Saturday, December 21, 2024.
Watch the video below as posted on January 6, 2023, by TVC News:
Tinubu cancels Lagos appearances following fatal stampedes
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that President Tinubu announced the suspension of all official outings in Lagos, including the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta.
Tinubu’s action was to honour the victims of stampedes in Abuja and Anambra state.
Source: TheTalk.NG
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