The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has warned the public against the launch of youths empowerment scheme calling on eligible Nigerians to apply using a fake social media account.
NDDC said the information about the launch of such a scheme is fake and the handiwork of faceless persons who are bent on defrauding unsuspecting members of the public, especially youths, who seem to be a genuine means of livelihood.
In a statement, the commission said that the fraudsters claimed that the Chairman of the NDDC Board announced the N1 million and lured youths to submit their personal information to be among the beneficiaries.
The NDDC described it as a fake and misleading announcement and advises youths and other members of the public to beware of scammers disguising themselves as staff of the interventionist agency.
This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday by the NDDC Director of Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, and sent to newsmen.
The statement reads: ‘The attention of the Niger Delta Development Commission has been drawn to a fake social media account being used to deceive the public, claiming that NDDC is registering people for a youth empowerment scheme.
‘The fake website: https://nddc-empowerment.alloffer.pro/gift, leads unsuspecting members of the public to a bogus NDDC ₦1,000,000 YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM 2025.
‘It claims that the Niger Delta Development Commissiono Chairman Mr. Chiedu Ebie has announced the launch of its 2025 Youth Empowerment Scheme and every Nigerian is eligible to apply
‘The fraudsters behind this misleading information are luring youths to submit their personal information to be among the beneficiaries’
It continued, “We advise members of the public, especially our youths, to be cautious of scammers and seek information only from NDDC official channels.
‘It is indeed disturbing that some mischievous individuals are trying to take advantage of our youths who are genuinely eager to be gainfully engaged in legitimate activities.
‘We wish to state unequivocally that the NDDC is not behind this fake registration platform, which is intended to deceive the people of the Niger Delta region.
‘The Online Account is the handiwork of fraudsters who are out to dupe innocent people and, in the process, bring the NDDC and its management into disrepute’.
While noting that the security agencies have been alerted to investigate and bring the criminal elements behind the said announcement to justice, the statement said all inquiries about the NDDC youth empowerment programmes should be channelled through the commission’s official information platforms.
‘We also encourage beneficiaries of our programmes to verify facts on the NDDC’s official website: [www.nddc.gov.ng] and our social media handles’, the statement added.
