Nigeria: No, Nigeria's Health Ministry Not Giving Out N15,000 Relief Funds

12 September 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Semilore Adelola

IN SHORT: Scammers often use the Nigerian government's name to try to steal unsuspecting people's money. But be warned, the claim that the government is offering N15,000 relief funds to all citizens is false.

Several Facebook posts claim that the Nigerian government is giving out grants of N15,000 (about US$9 at current rates) to all Nigerians.

One post, dated 4 August 2024, invites interested users to apply for the funds through a link.

The post includes a graphic with an image of Nigeria's health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate.

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 N15,000 relief funds? We checked.

Scam alert

We clicked on the link provided in the Facebook posts and it took us to a website about "Caregiver jobs in the USA with visa sponsorship".

The website made no mention of relief funds 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 an example of engagement bait. These are posts designed to get people to like, comment on or share. This increases the reach of the post and drives traffic to websites or blogs, which can in turn generate advertising revenue.

We also searched for keywords from the post on Google to see if there had been any credible media coverage of this government funding, but our search yielded nothing. Such developments would have made headlines if they had been announced by the government.

In April 2024, in a report by the Nigerian newspaper Premium Times, the ministry refuted claims of N15,000 relief funds.

"The general public is to be informed that the ministry is not in the process of giving such money," the ministry said.

To protect yourself from being scammed, read our guide on how to spot scams on Facebook.

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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