IN SHORT: A photo of an older Nigerian lawmaker has been circulating online, with users claiming that he is the chairperson of the youth development committee in the house of representatives. But this is not true.
Several social media users have posted a photo of a Nigerian member of parliament, claiming he is the chairperson of the youth development committee in the house of representatives.
The photo shows an older man, with users implying that he shouldn’t be representing young people at his age.
Nigeria operates a bi-cameral legislature: the house of representatives and the senate. The house of representatives is made up of 360 members and has two youth-focused committees: youth development and youth in parliament.
The claim that the man in the photo is chair of the youth development committee also appears here and here (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is it true? We checked.
False claim
A Google reverse image search shows that the man in the circulating photo is Yusuf Miga, a 67-year-old lawmaker representing the Jahun/Miga constituency in the house of representatives.
Parliamentary documents show that Martins Esin serves as the chair of the youth development committee, while Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala chairs the youth in parliament committee.
Jowosimi Eniitan, the special assistant to the house speaker, released a statement, labelling the claim false and describing it as an attempt to portray the house of representatives “as an institution that has lost faith in the capacity of Nigeria's vibrant youth”.
Eniitan also noted that Esin was born in July 1987, making him 38 years old at the time the claim was circulating.
The man in the viral photo is not the chair of the youth development committee in the house of representatives, as the posts claim.
More posts promoting this false claim can be found here, here, here, here and here.
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