Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, says he can make guesses on those behind the #EndCovidScamNow.
The hashtag has been trending on Twitter in Nigeria since late Monday.
The proponents say they believe the virus may be in Nigeria but that the figures released on a daily basis by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are outrageous.
Some say the government is using the coronavirus pandemic to enrich political appointees.
However, Mr Ogunlesi claimed in a tweet on Tuesday that people were paid to trend the topic, although he did not mention names.
He wrote: “99% of those tweeting on the current trending Covid hashtag in Nigeria are people who get paid to trend random topics, or bot-like accounts. Wholly Manufactured outrage. (I have my guesses about who’s behind these ‘nuggets’ of misinformation, lol).”
Nigeria, on Monday, recorded 216 new coronavirus cases, the NCDC said.
It also said the country’s total confirmed coronavirus cases stand at 6175, with 1644 treated and discharged and 191 deaths.
