BY: Abayomi Abdulwaliyy Jolayemi
Claim:
A screenshot shared by iDAN (@dangbanamanager) on X purports to show a Punch Newspapers article with the headline:
“I’ve Destroyed Your Lives for Four Years While Enriching Myself; Give Me Another Four to Finish the Job.”
The headline attributes the statement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, suggesting that he admitted to worsening Nigerians’ lives while enriching himself and seeking another four-year term.
Verdict:
False! The screenshot purports to attribute a sensational statement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through Punch Newspapers, but no verifiable publication of the alleged headline has been established. The image should not be treated as an authentic newspaper report or evidence that Tinubu made the statement.
Full Text:
A screenshot circulating on social media appears to show a Punch Newspapers article attributing an extraordinary statement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The purported headline reads: “I’ve Destroyed Your Lives for Four Years While Enriching Myself; Give Me Another Four to Finish the Job.”
The wording suggests that Tinubu openly admitted to damaging Nigerians’ lives and enriching himself during his administration while asking voters to re-elect him in 2027.
The image was shared by an X user identified as iDAN, whose post can be accessed here.
However, a headline appearing in a newspaper-style graphic does not establish that the publication actually published it or that the person named made the statement.
FactCheckAfrica examined the attribution to Punch Newspapers and the available evidence for the alleged quotation.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica reviewed the claim and searched the accessible online publication of Punch Newspapers for the purported headline and variations of its wording. The search did not identify a matching article.
The newspaper’s official website provides access to its published reports, while its Bola Tinubu archive contains reporting concerning the president and his administration. The material reviewed did not establish that Punch Newspaperspublished the alleged headline.
The screenshot therefore lacks a verifiable publication record to support its attribution.
The wording also requires scrutiny. The headline attributes a direct admission of deliberate harm and personal enrichment to the president, yet the circulating image does not provide an independently verifiable transcript, recording or original report confirming that he made the statement.
Although the screenshot resembles a newspaper article, its appearance alone cannot authenticate it. A genuine photograph of a public figure can be combined with an invented headline or an altered webpage design to produce a misleading image.
To establish authenticity, the purported article would need to be traced to an original publication, supported by a verifiable article URL or confirmed by the newspaper itself.
FactCheckAfrica could not independently authenticate the screenshot against Punch Newspapers’ publication records. Consequently, the image should not be circulated as a genuine report or used as evidence that Tinubu made the statement.
It is also important to distinguish the alleged quotation from criticism of the president’s administration. Nigerians may legitimately scrutinise the government’s economic policies, public spending, electricity supply and other aspects of its performance. Such criticism, however, does not establish that the president made the statement attributed to him in the screenshot.
Similarly, the identity or political orientation of the account sharing the image does not independently prove whether it is genuine. The assessment must rest on evidence about the alleged publication and quotation, rather than assumptions about the person who shared it.
Conclusion:
FactCheckAfrica could not locate a matching article in the newspaper’s accessible online publication or establish an independent source for the alleged quotation.
The screenshot should therefore not be treated as an authentic Punch Newspapers report or proof that Tinubu made the statement.
