Nigeria: Ignore Facebook Posts Claiming Nigerian Government Is Giving Out N700,000 Cash Grants

22 August 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Semilore Adelola

Ignore Facebook posts claiming Nigerian government is giving out N700,000 cash grants

IN SHORT: Scammers often use the name of the Nigerian government to steal your hard-earned money. But be warned, the claim that the government is offering N700,000 cash grants to all citizens is false.

Several Facebook posts claim that the Nigerian government is giving out grants of N700,000 (about US$440 at current rates) to all Nigerians.

One post, dated 4 May 2024, invites interested users to "Submit Application today" and provides a link where they can supposedly apply for the grants.

The post includes a graphic with an image of Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu.

The claim has also been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

But is the Nigerian government giving out such a grant? We checked.

Signs of a scam

We clicked on the link provided in the Facebook posts and it took us to a website about "Canadian federal government job with visa sponsorship". Another link from one of the posts led to a different site about US visa sponsorship opportunities.

Neither website mentioned the grants or the Nigerian government. If the grant was legitimate, the posts would link to a government website where users could find more information and apply.

This is a classic example of engagement bait. These are posts designed to get people to like, comment or share. This increases the post's reach and drives traffic to the websites, which can generate advertising revenue.

We also typed keywords from the post into Google to see if there had been any coverage by credible media outlets, but our search yielded no results. Such developments would have made headlines if they had been announced by the government.

The poor language-use in the message is another indication that it might be a scam. A legitimate message about a government programme would be well-written and provide full details about the scheme.

To protect yourself, read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.

The same claim has been published here, here, here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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