Fact Check: Has Kwara govt approved a second phase disbursement of ‘Owo Arugbo’

CLAIM: Kwara State Government approves the second phase disbursement of conditional cash transfer (Owo Arugbo).

FULL TEXT

A viral claim has been circulating on social media that Kwara State government has approved the second phase disbursement of conditional cash transfer for the elderly tagged Owo Arugbo.

The claim which was attached with an application link has garnered a lot of engagements as social media users keep sharing it online, especially on WhatsApp groups.

The post reads thus as shared to a WhatsApp group: “if you have apply before and you have not receive payment alert within 2 Days you can apply again our system is now fast. SECOND PHASE OWO ARUGBO 10000 NAIRA CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER. Kwara State Government approve the second phase disbursement of conditional cash transfer (Owo Arugbo).

“APPLY NOW https://slnkz.com/Kw-Govt-owo-arugbo-cct-online”

On December 5, 2020, a Newspaper report showed that the commencement of payment of “Owo Arugbo”, (money for the aged) in Patigi, Patigi Local Government Area of the state for aged women and widows of 60 and above was part of efforts by the current administration of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to take care of the poorest of the poor in the state.

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Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Rafiu Ajakaye published an official statement about the disbursement of the first phase of Owo Arugbo on November 27, 2020.

FINDINGS:

Findings show that the claim is false. When this reporter clicked on the link attached to the post, it led to a website having another link: https://slyte.store/Kwara-cash-transfer-programe/kwahgsep/Apply/cash.transfer.program/#!

A closer look at the claim revealed several wrong spellings and grammatical errors.

When the link provided by the website was subjected to verification on a digital tool called Whois. The result indicates that the website was registered on December 04, 2023 and will expire on December 04, 2024. The status of the website also shows that the client transfer is prohibited and the contact of the registrant is manipulated.

When contacted the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor of Kwara State, Mr Rafiu Ajakaye advised the masses to disregard such information.

“There is no such thing at the moment. Thank you,” CPS replied to an interview question.

Moreover, no credible media outlet including the Kwara State government page has published any news regarding the second phase of Owo Arugbo.

Verdict:

The claim that Kwara State Government has approved the second phase disbursement of conditional cash transfer (Owo Arugbo) is False! Findings reveal that there’s no such thing going on at the moment.

By: Abdulrasheed Akere

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