Residents Misled by Fake N75,000 COVID-19 Grant Rumor

On Tuesday, residents of Gumel Local Government Area in Jigawa State flocked to the council secretariat following a viral rumor on social media that promised N75,000 cash grants to individuals holding COVID-19 vaccination cards. The rumor, which spread through WhatsApp groups, led many to abandon their daily activities in hopes of receiving the nonexistent payment.

Officials from the Jigawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency and the local government quickly moved to dispel the misinformation. Hussaini Umar Gumel, the special adviser on new media, confirmed that there was no basis for the claim and urged residents to ignore it.

Malam Idri Sani and Maryamu Salisu, two residents, expressed disappointment upon discovering the rumor was false. Sagir Nayaya, a senior official from the Ministry of Health, reiterated that no such payment program existed and warned that scammers were using outdated vaccination data to defraud people.