A story went viral on social media and blogs claiming that a 16 year old Nigerian girl won $1billion.
It also claimed that the girl beat 49,000 other teenagers with an app she built for a contest.
The claim is false, here is what we know
Tominsin Ogunnubi took part in a global contest under the RISE initiative in 2019.
The RISE programme runs with a $1billion donation made by former Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt in 2019.
Annually, $5million is designated for the programme to cover scholarship to study abroad, mentorship, career-shaping opportunities and funding for 100 young people between ages 15-17.
Contrary to the claim, Ogunnubi was one of six Nigerians and one of 100 brilliant people from all over the world who won the contest.
She neither won $1billion nor $5million but will benefit in the global opportunities with 99 others.
Her father, Yinka Ogunnubi in a thread on twitter has debunked several claims by the viral report. He said his daughter was 18 years old when she won the award in 2021.
He also debunked the claim that his daughter won $1billion.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Ogunnubi won $1billion is false. The RISE award is run annually with $5million for 100 selected young people across the world out of the total $1billion dedicated to the programme.
