Altered video used to falsely claim Nigerian president is changing currency to US dollar

"Tinubu’s latest speech We are planning to abolish naira and start using dollar (sic)," reads the caption of a TikTok video published on August 29, 2023.

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A screenshot of the false post, taken on September 6, 2023

Viewed more than 690,000 times, the clip shows an Arise News television presenter introducing an announcement from Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. 

"President Tinubu plans to change Nigeria currency to dollar (sic)," reads the news headline at the bottom of the screen. 

"President Tinubu said, let us try to change Nigeria’s currency to dollar. Listen to his speech," the presenter appears to say before the screen momentarily goes black.

The logo of Arise News, a London-based news channel popular in Nigeria, pops up, followed by a video of Tinubu giving a televised speech. 

"My fellow Nigerians, I want to inform you that we are planning to abolish the usage of naira and start using dollar as our local currency," he appears to say.

During his first 100 days in office, Tinubu has implemented controversial economic reform policies, including removing a popular fuel subsidy, leading to soaring petrol, transport, and food prices (archived here).

The TikTok clip circulated widely in Nigeria, with several commenters expressing their dismay at the politician’s decision, calling him a "puppet" for the West and suggesting this decision is grounds for a coup.

However, the claim that the video shows Tinubu announcing that he will change the country’s currency to the US dollar is false. 

Altered video

Analysis of the clips of the news presenter and Tinubu show their mouth movements are out of sync with the audio.

Using a reverse image search, AFP Fact Check found the original footage in an August 24, 2023, Arise News report featuring anchor Ojy Okpe (archived here).

AFP Fact Check verified several elements to confirm this is the same footage seen in the TikTok clip.

From approximately 07'17" to 07'19", Okpe’s movements in the original video align with those in the TikTok clip. 

The scrolling images behind Okpe also perfectly match those seen in the TikTok clip. 

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A comparison of screenshots showing the original footage (left) and the altered version (right), taken on September 7, 2023

In the original video, Okpe is speaking about former River State governor Nyesom Wike’s statement defending his decision to use a luxury vehicle as his official mode of transport.

She does not discuss Tinubu’s alleged plan to change the country’s currency.

AFP Fact Check also found the original footage of Tinubu in a January 10, 2022, Channel News report during which he announced his intention to run for president (archived here). 

In both videos, Tinubu is sitting in front of a wood-panelled wall and wearing the same clothing seen in the TikTok.

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A comparison of screenshots showing the original photo, right, and the altered version, taken on September 7, 2023

From 1'27" to 1'37" in the Channel News video, Tinubu’s movements match those in the TikTok clip. 

In the original footage, Tinubu says he told then-President Muhammadu Buhari about his decision to run in the 2023 presidential elections.

"I’ve now set a parameter of limitation to the extent of how many people I will consult. You will soon hear all you want to hear: a categorical declaration. You’ve gotten that truth from me that I’ve informed Mr President of my ambition," he says.

He does not discuss any plan to change the naira to the US dollar.

Artificial intelligence

The video was posted by an account that has shared other altered clips, including one of Elon Musk singing with the voice of Nigerian rapper Shallipopi.

With the rise of artificial intelligence, it is becoming increasingly easy to create fake audio for high-profile individuals (archive here). 

AFP Fact Check has created this useful guide with tips to identify AI-generated content.