By Deborah Nnamdi, Port Harcourt
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has said that the list of selected beneficiaries of the NDDC Youth Internship Scheme circulating on social media is false and fraudulent.
In a statement signed by the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, fraudsters on social media are spreading false information about the youth internship scheme and are also demanding personal information and payment of an acceptance fee.
She noted that the NDDC does not require any fees or payments for the placement of qualified youths in its internship program.
She advised youths to ignore any unauthorized list and seek information only from the NDDC official channels as no such list has been collated, approved, or released, and any claim to the contrary is false.
“The final list of beneficiaries will be drawn from the NDDC’s official database and only those that were duly registered between August 5, 2024, when the registration was formally launched, and August 31, 2024, when it closed, will be considered.
“We assure all our stakeholders that we remain committed to transparency and fairness in all our activities, including our youth empowerment programs.
“It is indeed disconcerting that some mischievous individuals are trying to take advantage of our youths who are seeking ways of being gainfully engaged in legitimate activities. In light of this unfortunate development, we urge our youths to be wary of these scammers.
“We also encourage beneficiaries of our programs to verify facts on the NDDC’s official website”.
