Crowds trooped to the Gumel Local Government secretariat in Jigawa State on Tuesday after a viral social media message claimed residents with COVID-19 vaccination cards would get a N75,000 cash grant
Many who abandoned their daily activities were, however, left disappointed when they arrived at the secretariat only to discover that they had fallen for a rumor, as there was no such payment.
Recall that during the COVID-19 vaccination between 2021 and 2023, millions of residents of the state received jabs at designated centers across the 287 wards’ health centers and were issued vaccination cards.
The viral message on WhatsApp and other messaging platforms had asked the residents to come with their vaccination cards to get the purported grant.
One Idris Sani said he came from a village 15km away after getting the message, only to find out that the information was not real.
“I saw on WhatsApp that Corona card holders will collect N75,000 today. I came early but found nothing here,” he said.
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Another resident, Maryamu Salisu, said she was disappointed. “The rumor was that the government wants to pay vaccinated people. I brought my card, but officials told us it’s fake news,” she said.
The Gumel Local Government Council, through the Special Adviser to the Chairman on New Media, Hussaini Gumel, described the claim of a N75,000 grant for COVID-19 vaccination card holders as false.
He said, “The news has no basis at all. No government agency announced any N75,000 grant for COVID-19 card holders,” he stated.
“People should disregard the rumor and verify information before sharing or taking any action.
“Gumel council officials are now sensitizing residents to stop the spread of fake news,” Hussaini said.
The Jigawa State Ministry of Health, through its Public Relations Officer, Sagir Nayaya, also said the ministry has no record of such payment.
“No ministry of health programme is disbursing N75,000 to Corona card holders. This is misinformation,” he said. The PRO urged members of the public to confirm news from official sources only.
“Verify information from government websites or accredited media before you believe or share it,” Nayaya advised.
