Pulse Nigeria has issued a public apology and clarification following widespread backlash over its earlier report suggesting that the Kano State Government distributed underwear to women as empowerment materials.
The media platform had initially published a post with the headline implying that the state government was responsible for distributing branded underwear, a report that quickly sparked criticism, mockery, and political controversy across social media.
In response, the Kano Development Forum, in a correspondence issued by Nworisa Michael, General secretary of the forum formally engaged Pulse Nigeria, demanding the immediate removal of the report and a public clarification to correct what it described as a misleading and damaging narrative against the Government and people of Kano State.
Following the intervention, Pulse Nigeria first deleted the original post and later released an official clarification acknowledging that the publication was made without sufficient verification and lacked the necessary context.
In its statement, Pulse Nigeria admitted that the report failed to clarify that the Kano State Government was not responsible for the incident and that the images in circulation were largely linked to the actions of political supporters rather than any official government initiative.
The platform further stated that the framing of the report may have led to misinterpretation and unintended reputational damage to both the people of Kano and the Kano State Government.
“We recognize that the framing of our post may have led to misinterpretation and unintended reputational implications for the people of Kano and the Kano State Government. For this, we take full responsibility,” the statement read.
Pulse Nigeria also extended what it described as its “unreserved apologies” to the people of Kano, the Kano State Government, and all those affected by the misrepresentation.
Reacting to the development, Kano Development Forum described the clarification as a necessary step toward responsible journalism and accountability, while emphasizing that the rush to break news without proper verification continues to damage media credibility.
The controversy had stemmed from images of women displaying red underwear during the APC outing to welcome the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Kano. The images were later weaponized politically, with edited versions falsely suggesting that the state government had distributed the items as an empowerment initiative.
Residebts noted that the issue was more rooted in political symbolism and supporter actions than any formal government programme.
The Forum maintained that while public criticism of the display itself may be valid, falsely attributing it to official government policy was misleading and required correction.