Fact-check: Are Governors, Lawmakers, Ministers Fleeing Nigeria Over Looming #EndBadGovernance Protest?

Fact-check: Are Governors, Lawmakers, Ministers Fleeing Nigeria Over Looming #EndBadGovernance Protest?

Claim: There is a viral video making the rounds across several social media platforms that Nigerian governors,  ministers and federal lawmakers are fleeing the country ahead of the planned #EndBadGovernance protest slated for 1st to 10th of  August.

Full Text:  The acclaimed viral  video originated from one Isaac Ayodele Fayose,  a  younger brother of the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on his Facebook page, Prince Isaac Ayodele Fayose.

His voice: “House of Representative members, senators, governors and ministers are all traveling abroad suddenly because of protest”, Fayose stated in the video.

The video was later shared virally across several social media platforms, with an X handle user, Chuks also posting it, with the caption, “Governors, house of Representatives, Senators, and ministers all traveling abroad suddenly because of protest”. 

The post also elicited several venomous comments, with some commenters raining curses on mostly public officers and lefislators, threatening that their family members would bear the brunt of the planned protest even though they allegedly fled the country.

An online news platform, News Week, also published the claim, with the headline, “Airport Filled up, Senators, Rep Members, And Ministers Traveling Abroad Because of Protest”.

The online news platform however acknowledged Isaac Ayodele Fayose as its source.

Recall that some groups have called for nationwide protests scheduled for August 1,  in response to the economic hardship in the country.

Verification: To investigate the veracity of the claim, PRNigeria fact-check conducted  key word searches, and confirmed reports that earlier this week, specifically on Wednesday July 24, 2024 the Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu convened a behind closed-door meeting, and had  over 40 ministers in attendance.

The meeting was about the planned ‘hunger’ protest. After the meeting, Information Minister, Mohammed Idris briefed the media,and pleaded with Nigerians to shelve the planned protest, and give the federal government more time to address the economic challenges the country is currently grappling with.

PRNigeria‘s further checks revealed that the following day, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held a meeting with Governors from the All Progressives Congress, under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. 

The meeting which began at minutes past 1pm followed growing calls for nationwide protests against economic hardship.

Although the agenda of Thursday’s meeting was not made public, it may be connected to the planned protests scheduled for August 1 – 10. 

Digging further, PRNigeria fact-check conducted searches on major conventional media, both  electronic and print media, to know if the claim was either published or  aired on other credible sources but there was no such report. 

PRNigeria fact-check deeper check however established  that the two chambers of the national assembly – the Senate and House of Representatives – had proceeded on a seven weeks recess after passing some crucial bills.

Some bills passed by the national assembly include the amendment to the minimum wage law, President Bola Tinubu’s request to increase the 2024 budget by N6.2 trillion, and an amendment to the 2023 Finance Act, among others.

Conclusion: findings by PRNigeria found no evidence in terms of airport traffic, credible report or authenticated visuals on mass exodus of elected government officials due to looming nationwide protests. 

PRNigeria fact-check therefore conclude that the claim that governors, ministers and federal lawmakers are fleeing the country due to looming nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest is false.

By PRNigeria