Fact check: There is no evidence Barack Obama s college nickname was Barack Oganja Devon Link, USA TODAY
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The claim: Barack Obama s college nickname was Barack Oganja due to his marijuana use
A marijuana-themed meme page has resurfaced an old rumor that former President Barack Obama s college nickname was Barack Oganja. However, there is no evidence the cannabis-focused play on Obama s name was his college-era moniker.
“Barack Obama’s nickname at college was ‘Barack Oganja’ due to his heavy marijuana use,” reads the meme which contains an image of a young Obama smoking.
No evidence Obama used this nickname
No evidence Obama used this nickname
As with any claim, the burden of proof is on the speaker. Four Twenty did not provide any evidence Obama used this nickname in college or respond to USA TODAY s request for comment.
USA TODAY could find no reputable reports that “Barack Oganja” was a nickname for the former president during his youth, although documentation of nicknames is inherently limited.
Our research did find that this rumor has circulated on social media for years. A Google Trend search for the Barack Oganja starting from 2004 shows the term gained traction around April 2012.
Skeptics on Skeptic Stack Exchange, an online message board, investigated the purported nickname in 2013 and found no proof it was authentic.