Aliko Dangote, a billionaire businessman, is said to be the “Owner of Nigeria,” according to numerous claims making the rounds on social media. This is because the Google search algorithm always suggests his Wikipedia page whenever the question “Who is the owner of Nigeria” is typed into the search bar.
It seems that Google’s search algorithm has constantly promoted false content for some time now, or when there are no articles that are relevant, it displays a random profile from Wikipedia.
The fact that Aliko Dangote’s Wikipedia profile appeared when some Nigerian social media users searched for “The owner of Nigeria” on Thursday led to the dissemination of false information and propaganda on Twitter.
Many people posted screenshots of the Google search result on Twitter and urged other people to do the same to verify it. This resulted in numerous users completing the same search and disseminating the findings over numerous social media platforms, and as a result, numerous users began to believe that Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa, owned Nigeria, a nation with over 220 million inhabitants.
Popular Nigerian comedian, Helen Paul, recently posted how a Google search showed that Dangote is the owner of Nigeria.
Taking to her official Instagram page, the media personality posted a screenshot of a Google search asking who owns the country.
The comedian did not seem to be laughing as she explained her observations about ‘the owner’ of Nigeria. She wrote: “Who is the owner of Nigeria on Google? “The owner doesn’t post much on the social media. The owner is always giving us gentle smile. The owner does not drag on social media. The owner doesn’t post family & friends on social media. Oh….. What A owner.”
But there is no legal or constitutional basis for the claim that Aliko Dangote is the owner of Nigeria.
