A social media user identified as @UchePokoye recently circulated a misleading video on X, falsely claiming that President Bola Tinubu was unable to use his right hand to greet guests at an airport.
The post, published on October 24, 2026, carried the caption: “In this video Tinubu’s right hand seems paralyzed. He couldn’t shake people with it, he couldn’t raise it up, he lean to the plane on his left. Is he a lefty?”
The video showed Tinubu greeting dignitaries with his left hand as he arrived at an airport. It also showed military personnel standing guard for the president saluting with their left hands as Tinubu, his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, and other dignitaries boarded the presidential aircraft.
Checks using Hive Detect AI, InVID and Google reverse image search identified the original versions of the video. The original footage showed Tinubu shaking hands with dignitaries using his right hand, while the military personnel saluted with their right hands.
The mirrored video therefore altered the direction of the actions depicted, creating the false impression that Tinubu used his left hand to greet the dignitaries and that the military personnel saluted with their left hands.
As of the time of this fact-check, the post had garnered 97,400 views, 632 likes, 245 comments, 85 bookmarks and 301 reposts.
Verdict: False. The video was mirrored and does not accurately represent the original footage. The original video shows Tinubu shaking hands with dignitaries using his right hand and military personnel saluting with their right hands.
What You Should Know
A circulating video on social media falsely claimed that President Bola Tinubu could only use his left hand to greet dignitaries and that military guards were also saluting with their left hands. However, fact-checkers discovered that the video was simply flipped or mirrored, altering the original footage where the President and security personnel rightly used their correct right hands.
- Positive Impact: Timely fact-checking helps stop the spread of misleading digital content and prevents public confusion caused by manipulated media.
- Potential Concerns: The rapid spread of deepfakes and altered videos on social media platforms can easily manipulate public opinion and damage reputations if not quickly debunked.
