Fresh fake news against Buhari’s rice pyramids by Twitter user busted

*Initiator used 2018 photo to explain 2022 event

*Twitter not responsible for this but the user – ICT expert

*Wants govt to go after culprits resuming evil work on Twitter

By OUR REPORTER

Barely one week after President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration lifted ban on American social media platform, Twitter, a Nigerian citizen’s attempt to mislead members of the public, with a fresh fake news using the medium, has been busted.

The Nigerian, Samson Onyolu, in the tweet now described by many as unfortunate and sad to come by a Nigerian youth, said the President flagged off what, according to him, was pyramid mainly made of woods surrounded with few bags of rice to deceive Nigerians.

Twitter’s operations resumed last week after seven months of ban, following its succumbing to the nation’s demand for it to operate according to the rules of doing business in Nigeria.

Commenting on Onyolu’s “unpatriotic” behaviour he believes to be enjoying his right of self expression in a democracy, another Nigerian youth in the ICT sector,who chose not to be mentioned, said:

“He is one of those Nigerians, who think Nigeria should be operated as a zoo where criminal minded ones will be allowed to use the Twitter to perpetrate disaffection and insecurity in the land. Where is not by Twitter but a citizen, I can only blame the government if nothing is done to invite this evil minded person to prove his tweet,” he said.

Samson Onyolu made tweet that was already misleading several thousands of other Nigerians to form negative opinion about their President and leaders of their country over the all successful rice pyramid the President flagged off in Abuja, on Tuesday 18 January, 2022.

The Federal Government on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari had unveiled one million bags of rice paddy stacked as pyramids in Abuja. According to Bashir Ahmad, a Social Media Aide to the President, it is the world’s largest rice pyramids, which is a collaboration of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN).

The bags of rice used to form the pyramids were reported to have been planted and harvested from states across the country under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) managed by the CBN.

The event also trended on social media with many users expressing diverse reactions to the launching of the rice pyramids. Some users also shared a photo of a rice pyramid with a wooden struct, claiming the government had deceived the citizens with fake rice pyramids.

Posting an image of rice pyramid shared and made viral on social media, Onyolu and those who believe in his unverified information said there were no rice pyramids flagged off Tuesday other than woods surrounded by bags of rice, although the image has been exposed not to be a recent one.

“In a normal society, government should by now have arrested the likes of Samson Onyolu who made such a dangerous fake news that is capable of setting the nation against itself. This is necessary because, even in United States of America where they claim their so called democracy given right of self expression, no one raised such evil information against government or the state that is left to go free,” the ICT practitioner said.

He added, “You cannot hold Twitter responsible for the crimes of the likes of Onyolu until the multi logging network deletes any post made to check the evil being circulated against government. What the government will be right to do now is send the DSS after these particular Twitter users. We, good minded Nigerians, will back you like we did for the seven months you suspended Twitter. You must put your feet on the ground and take punitive measures now!”

Samson Onyolu, the Twitter user, said the rice pyramids unveiled by the president was a massive plank with just a few bags of rice to cover the frame.

In his words, “There’s nothing like rice pyramid here. A massive plank pyramid frame build with little bags of rice to cover the frame work you people call rice pyramid? This govt & Co should stop deceiving the masses,” he said on his Twitter address — Samson Onyolu (@onyolusamson) January 18, 2022.

Another of Onyolu’s co-travelers, also a Twitter user, @Tutsy22, posted the photo with the caption, “APC and Fake Rice Pyramid”. The tweet garnered more than 90 retweets and over 100 likes.

APC and fake rice pyramid! https://t.co/6OXgyjwO0o pic.twitter.com/eW4bOFT4gW

— Adetutu Balogun, MBA (@Tutsy22) January 16, 2022

Another Twitter user, Joel Onwuchekwa, shared the photo with the caption, “This is the rice pyramid @MBuhari wants to flag off. What a shame really!”

This is the rice pyramid @MBuhari wants to flag off. What a shame really! @channelstv @wazobiatvng @EbonyLife_TV pic.twitter.com/tKsa0uu2nB

— Joel Onwuchekwa (@kingnoble_1) January 16, 2022

Busted: The Rice Pyramid in Nigeria 🤣🤣 This is how it was constructed 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/c3DTlPbQ2C

— Mr Suga (@MaziNwaOyibe) January 16, 2022

So MBuhari govt spent money to brand rice bags & filled bags with seized rices by Nigeria Custom Service

As if that’s not enough use woods to construct pyramid covering it with these rices to deceive the world that Nigeria produce rice

Has fulani herdsmen left our farmlands? pic.twitter.com/hcU1U5bXwP

— SENIOR ADVOCATE OF BIAFRA (SAB) (@COCOPACOPIACO1) January 18, 2022

A Facebook user, Marshal Sampson, also posted the photo with the caption, “See how they even waste our money on wood just to tell a lie about some fake rice pyramid as proof increased productivity.”

VERIFICATION

One of Nigeria’s leading online newspapers, TheCable, used a reverse image search to verify the viral image and results showed it is not recent. It surfaced online in 2018.

In December 2017, it was reported that the Ogun state government launched a local brand of ofada rice tagged “Mission to Rebuild Ogun State” (MITROS). The launching ceremony was graced by several dignitaries.

Amosun inspecting the “rice pyramid”

A few days after, reports surfaced online alleging the then governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun, had displayed a fraudulent rice pyramid to deceive the public. The photo showing bags of rice arranged in a pyramid shape with support of wood trended on social media at the time.

The photo has been reshared on social media as the one unveiled by the federal government on Tuesday.

VERDICT

The viral image of a rice pyramid with a wooden structure is an old image from 2018.

Below are some of the images of the rice pyramids launched by Buhari on Tuesday.

PHOTOS: Dangote, Emefiele present as Buhari unveils ‘mega’ rice pyramid in Abuja | TheCable https://t.co/TMKBiW4xQD pic.twitter.com/68kukaeNmm

— TheCable (@thecableng) January 18, 2022

The true images of rice pyramids flagged off by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Tuesday 18 January, 2022.

This was how TheCable busted a tweeted fake news that could have again created image crisis for the Buhari’s government, which has been adjudged the best performing in the country so far.

The DEFENDER/Solacebase.com