The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has warned the public about scammers pretending to represent the commission and offering fake postgraduate scholarships. The agency raised concerns over these fraudsters targeting unsuspecting individuals with false promises.

In a statement issued on Sunday from Port Harcourt, the Director of Corporate Affairs for NDDC, Mrs. Seledi Thompson-Wakama, explained that the scammers demand money from people while claiming to secure placements in the commission’s Postgraduate Foreign Scholarship Programme.

She revealed that the fraudsters have been sending fake emails and messages to applicants. These emails, claiming to come from the NDDC’s ‘Board Registry,’ instruct recipients to attend a bogus document verification exercise on Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The emails use the address nddcregistry@gmail.com. Thompson-Wakama emphasized that this exercise is entirely fake and not connected to the NDDC.

The NDDC stated that all valid updates about its scholarship programme are shared only through its official website: www.scholarship.nddc.gov.ng. Thompson-Wakama advised applicants to ignore messages asking for money or personal details or promising scholarships outside the official channels. She encouraged anyone who receives such fraudulent messages to report them to law enforcement agencies for investigation.

Lastly, she urged Nigerians interested in the NDDC’s educational opportunities to rely solely on the commission’s verified platforms to get accurate and trustworthy information.