Fact-check: Did FG Approve Cash  Transfer to 15 million Households In Nigeria?

Fact-check: Did FG Approve Cash  Transfer to 15 million Households In Nigeria?

Claim: A claim that the federal government of Nigeria has approved the  cash transfer to fifteen million households  has been virally  shared on WhatsApp groups.

Full Text: A WhatsApp message claiming that the federal government of Nigeria approved a cash transfer to fifteen million households in Nigeria, where each house would get twenty-five thousand naira (N25,000), presumably to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.

The text urged people to apply through a link embedded in the message.

The text also implored applicants to share to others to benefit from the scheme.

The claim reads thus: 

 “FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 15MILLION HOUSE-HOLD CASH TRANSFER PROGRAM IS ONGOING

“The Federal government of Nigeria has approved ₦25,000 cash transfer for three month t0 15million House-hold.

“Apply now to benefit from Federal Government Cash Transfer. APPLY NOW https://popuyam.com/fg-25000-cash-transfer-ng N.B: SHARE WITH OTHERS TO BENEFIT”.

Recall that during his swearing in on May 29, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu tersely declared that “fuel subsidy is gone.”

However, his declaration of fuel subsidy removal has evoked a debilitating effect on citizens through the steep rise in inflation. The sudden and complete fuel subsidy removal further perpetuates poverty and food insecurity in Nigeria.

 A major effect of the subsidy removal is the increased transportation costs due to the high fuel prices with its attendant impact on agricultural production. Agricultural inputs and production require energy to be transported to farmers and to power the machinery for food production. As such, the high transportation costs have heightened food insecurity in the country as consumers struggle to purchase daily meals at increased prices.

Verification: To verify the authenticity of the viral message sent across WhatsApp groups, PRNIGERIA fact-check desk clicked on the imbedded hyperlinked URL, which directed one to a page requiring one’s details such as full name, email, phone number, and a box for selection of one’s state of origin.

After this process, another click on a “continue” button directs one to another page where account details are required, tens of testimonial comments by  those who claimed to have benefited from the acclaimed federal government cash transfer scheme.

After this, another page opens which directs applicants to share the link to ten WhatsApp groups, in order to fully stands a chance to win as a beneficiary of the scheme.

To further confirm its authenticity, PRNigeria  fact-check desk further subjected the website to WhoisLookupDomain, a tool widely used to identify who owns a domain and how to contact them.

Our investigation confirmed that the website domain was registered by  NameCheap, Inc.

IANA ID: 1068

URL: http://www.namecheap.com

The domain is 518 days old, created on the 24th of May, 2022, updated on the 9th May, 2023, and set to  expire on 24th of May, 2024.

The IP Address is 64.20.52.126 – 306, and the location of the IP is New Jersey in the US.

The domain has the history of 12 changes on 8 unique names.

The interface of the website looks similar to that of other phishing websites, which  typically have a common set of goals. They are designed to steal or capture sensitive information from victims. Cybercriminals commonly attempt to harvest credentials or steal credit card information to meet these goals.

Cybercriminals will commonly combine phishing websites with phishing emails to lure victims. Phishing emails will typically be personalized and paired directly with a relevant phishing website. The websites themselves can either be a single phishing page or a complete copy masquerading as a legitimate website. The type of phishing website created will vary depending on the cybercriminal’s goal and the defensive controls in place, which may hinder them from meeting this goal.

Also, the PRNIGERIA fact-check desk conducted further research to confirm the kind of measure put in place by the federal government to cushion the debilitating effects of subsidy removal by  searching key words. 

Our search showed that the  federal government only disbursed N5 billion palliative to each of the 36 states to cushion the effect of the removal of petrol subsidy, while also setting up an ad hoc committee to engage with the leadership of labour unions. 

Meanwhile, the federal government promised to  create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive to reduce effects of Subsidy Removal.

A further search revealed that the House of Representatives had urged the federal government to, among other things, purchase natural gas-powered buses to mitigate transport fare hike. 

Further findings revealed that the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima had proposed that State Governments implement cash transfer programmes using state-generated social registers, to soften the harsh economic realities since the discontinuance of petrol subsidy on May 29.

This is different from the National Social Register, which, as of 2023, has captured over 61 million vulnerable Nigerians eligible for various government social programmes.

Conclusion: Findings by PRNigeria revealed that the site used for the cash-transfer claim is a phishing website that lures and scams innocent applicants.

PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claim that the federal government has approved fifteen million household cash transfer is false.

By PRNigeria