Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio has recently been in the headlines after a comment he made during a plenary session went viral. In the video, Akpabio was said to have advised Nigerians to take advantage of “free food” whenever possible.
As of press time, several media outlets — including People’s Gazette, Daily Trust, Tribune — have reported on the video. Daily Trust focused on reactions from Nigerians on X (formerly Twitter), while Tribune, Politics Nigeria and X microbloggers such as Nigeria Stories have also reported the claim, insinuating that Akpabio recently told Nigerians to “avail themselves of free food”.
“JUST IN: Senate President Godswill Akpabio has advised Nigerians to help themselves wherever they see free food,” reported Nigeria Stories.
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Politics Nigeria added that Akpabio made the statement in a “recent video”, encouraging Nigerians to eat free food due to the difficult times.
However, the video and the nature of the claim prompted FIJ to verify the Senate President’s statement and the context in which he made it.
CLAIMS
Senate President Godswill Akpabio advised Nigerians to grab free food whenever they can.
The video of Akpabio giving this advice is recent.
VERIFICATION
FIJ found that the video is an extract from a Senate plenary session on June 14, 2023. During this session, Akpabio uttered the comment while making announcements.
The senator was not talking to Nigerians in general; he was addressing his fellow senators and encouraging them to attend a dinner being hosted for the Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
Akpabio announced:“There will be a dinner for the Senate President and Deputy Senate President at 7:30 pm today. It’s at Chopsticks, Mississippi Ministers in Maitama, hosted by Senator Dantuse Mohammed. Apparently, it’s not funded by the government or the National Assembly — it’s his initiative.”
He then added:“Times are tough, so wherever you see free food, please avail yourself!”
The remark was an aside aimed at the lawmakers, not a serious statement directed at Nigerians. Also, the video is from June 2023, which is not as recent as some reports suggest.
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CONCLUSION: Senator Akpabio did not tell Nigerians to help themselves to free food. Rather, he was encouraging members of the Senate to attend a dinner for the senate president and his deputy.
More importantly, the plenary session where Akpabio made this statement was held in June 2023, shortly after the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
VERDICT: The claim that Akpabio advised Nigerians to avail themselves of free food is false. The video circulated to this effect is old and has been published since June 2023.
The post FACT-CHECK: No! Akpabio Didn’t Advise Nigerians to Help Themselves to Free Food appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.