Nigerian Media Should Always Fact-Check Any Claim Made By The Federal Government – Phrank Shaibu

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu has come out to blast the All Progressives Congress for allegedly using propaganda to deceive Nigerians

He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, Tinubu deserves a lot of criticism for appointing more media aides than economic and security advisers since he became president, and Nigerians should not be moved by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale’s recent apology.

He added that the Nigerian media should always fact-check any claim made by the federal government to maintain their credibility.

His words, “The first lie that was told by Bola Tinubu was in his inaugural speech, where he stated that petrol subsidy is gone. With oil prices now at $94 per barrel and naira exchanging at N1,000/$1, the price of diesel has risen to about N1,000 per liter while petrol remains at about N620 per liter. It is obvious to the discerning mind that petrol is now being subsidized, a position which all oil marketers have espoused. Nigerians should not be deceived.

This lie was well celebrated by many undiscerning Nigerians whose only crime was to believe the deceptive words of an illegitimate government. UAE authorities later confirmed to CNN that it was all a lie. What a national embarrassment!

Another lie was a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale on August 27, 2023, where US Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, was quoted as saying, “President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership.” Well, this has turned out to be another embarrassing lie as Tinubu has departed UNGA and never met President Biden.

On August 14, 2023, the Nigerian government said on its official Twitter handle that the Nigerian Air Force struck terrorists gathering at Kurebe in Shiroro LGA in Niger State. The government claimed that the terrorists were neutralized. Well, Premium Times has now revealed in its latest report that this is nothing but propaganda as those who were killed were innocent civilians.

As part of Bola Tinubu’s propaganda program, the Central Bank of Nigeria said on September 6, 2023, that within two weeks, it would inject $10 billion into the foreign exchange market to clear the FX backlog. Days after the deadline passed, not a single cent has been injected into the system as the naira continues its free fall.

Last month, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited claimed they had obtained an Afrexim loan of $3bn with which it would help stabilize the naira. We raised the alarm that it was all a ruse to deceive Nigerians. Now, we have been justified as the naira is now trading at $1/N1,000 on the black market, while Afrexim Bank has refused to speak on it.

Perhaps the biggest scam and deceit of the Tinubu administration was the Student Loan Act, which he signed on June 12. The new law provides loans for students’ tuition only. It doesn’t cover any other educational expenses. After the law was signed, all federal government schools began increasing school fees.

But Dele Alake, the Special Adviser on Media as he then was, said in a statement that tuition in all government schools remains free and that the only fees that were increased were accommodation, laboratory, library, and other costs. So if tuition is free and the Student Loan Act covers only tuition fees, that means the Student Loan Act is pointless, and no money will be released. In essence, Tinubu’s government has prodded government schools to increase fees while no loans will be given to the students.”