By: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
An X user posted a claim attributing it to the Honourable Minister of Budget, Atiku Bagudu that the Federal Government spent N814 billion on the new national anthem.
Verdict
False. Our findings shows that the Federal Government did not spend the amount made in the claim.
Full Text
An X user, Franklin Ezechukwu posted a claim attributing it to the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu that the Federal Government spent N814 billion on the new national anthem.
As part of the events to mark Nigeria’s 25 years of unbroken democracy and the one year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Federal Government on May 29 officially reverted to the old national anthem, ‘Nigeria we hail thee,’ which was adopted at independence in 1960 to replace ‘Arise, O Compatriots,’ which has been in use since 1978.
The reintroduction of the old national anthem sparked wide condemnation by Nigerians, who described it as a misplaced priority amid gruelling economic hardship triggered by Tinubu’s twin policy of fuel subsidy removal and floating of the naira.
The claim has so far gained 795 reposts, 386 quotes and over 1000 likes.
This fact check seeks to find out the veracity of the above claim because it looks questionable and its ability to mislead Nigerians.
Verification
FactCheckAfrica combed through Google to check for reports where the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning made such a claim, our search was futile as there were no reports to back up the claim.
We also checked the minister’s Facebook page to ascertain whether such a claim was made by him but nothing relating to it was found there.
Conclusion
Following our checks, we can conclude that the claim is false in all its entirety.
