On Monday, April 24, 2023, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made some claims on Twitter following the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
TRIBUNE ONLINE highlights two of the claims made by Abike Dabiri, and checks how factual they are.
We have well over 3 million resident there. Even more , but let me just put it at that estimate. The richest person in Sudan is a Nigerian https://t.co/MdDeSgLMA4
— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) April 24, 2023
CLAIM 1: Abike Dabiri, who is the CEO of NIDCOM, claimed Nigeria has over 3 million residents in Sudan
“We have well over 3 million resident(s) there. Even more, but let me just put it at that estimate,” Abike tweeted.
Verification
Nigerian citizens are currently trapped in Sudan following an armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of the Northeast country, which began on 15 April 2023.
At least 459 people have died in the conflict so far, though the actual number is thought to be much higher.
Since the violence began, residents of Khartoum have been told to stay inside, and food and water supplies have been running low.
Amidst the crisis, Abike Dabiri claimed the population of Nigerian nationals trapped in Sudan is estimated at around 3 million.
However, records from the Nigerian Embassy show there are over 5,000 Nigerians in the crisis-ridden country.
Also, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in a recent interview with Channels Television confirmed the figure.
This shows the population of Nigerians in Sudan is below the estimated figure given by Abike Dabiri.
Verdict: This claim is false.
CLAIM 2: Abike also claimed the richest person in Sudan is a Nigerian
“The richest person in Sudan is a Nigerian,” Mrs Abike wrote.
Verification
Data sourced from the official website of Forbes Africa, one of the Web’s most popular and well-respected sites that offers users all the data on celebrities, shows that in 2023, Mo Ibrahim is the richest man in Sudan.
The Sudanese-born telecom tycoon Mo Ibrahim is one of the richest Africans in the world. Mohammed “Mo” Ibrahim founded Celtel International in 1998, one of the earliest mobile phone companies serving Africa and the Middle East.
He sold the company to Kuwait’s Mobile Telecommunications Company for more than $3 billion in 2005.
Records also show Ibrahim was born in 1946 into a family of Nubian heritage, an ethnic group whose traditional homelands stretch from southern Egypt into northern Sudan.
He grew up in Cairo, Egypt, where his father worked as a clerk for a cotton-trade organisation. The family, which numbered seven in all, lived in a small apartment that was often stifling in the heat of the warmer months.
Verdict: Therefore the claim that “the richest person in Sudan is a Nigerian” is FALSE and MISLEADING.
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