Atiku Abubakar warns Nigerians against fake online grant scheme in his name

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has warned Nigerians against falling into a funding scheme using his name for its promotion. While tagging the said empowerment scheme as a scam, he cautioned Nigerians that the sponsorship project which the scammers claimed to be funded by the federal government is not from him.

According to the statement on an X post titled “Empowerment scheme using Atiku’s name and promising N65,000 to Nigerians is a scam” signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, it disregards the involvement of Atiku in the scheme and warned that none of his aides nor close associates are aware of such project.

“It has come to our notice that a group claiming to be “Travelling Abroad Opportunities” has been advertising a so-called “Atiku Grant by FG”. The purported empowerment scheme is promising to hand out N65,000 to successful applicants after they must have filled out an application form and provided their name, account number, and bank,” the statement reads.

Atiku’s media office located in Abuja also warned the public to distance themselves from such false information. It also urged security agencies to investigate and bring perpetrators behind the fraudulent scheme to justice.

“For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023) is not currently running an empowerment scheme that purports to give N65,000 to successful applicants. Also, there is no organization related to, connected with, and associated with the former Vice President that is running an empowerment scheme by whatever shape or form,” part of the state­ment expressed.

It then alerted Nigerians not to participate in what is obviously a fraudulent scheme or risk losing their hard-earned money to scammers.

“Even if the Waziri Adamawa was going to embark on such a scheme, he would do so directly and not through a third party that is unknown to Nigerians,” the Atiku Media Office stated.

Atiku Abubakar is one among many

The spread of scams and misinformation seems to be running across the country with perpetrators and scammers leveraging the speed of social media for their operations.

In a similar event to the former Vice President, Bishop David Abioye in November called the attention of Nigerians to a scam alert in his name. The bishop warned the public that any message asking for funds in his name is fraudulent and should be ignored. The retired Bishop provided an email address and phone number for individuals to report fraudulent activities, urging prompt action to “help prevent others from falling victim.”

Also on Wednesday, 38-year-old Menwe Nnamdi James, alongside 40-year-old Ekele Okorogba, was arraigned before a Magistrate court in Rivers. According to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Port Harcourt under the Rivers State Police Command, the accused provided the police with misleading information about the murder of a motorcycle rider, identified as Godstime Innocent.

In efforts to curb the spread of misinformation as well as fake news, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Friday announced the launch of an initiative that seeks to alleviate these dangers. The minister described the plan as a comprehensive project to combat the growing threat of fake news which has become a significant challenge to governance and public trust.

The minister emphasized the efforts to strengthen inclusive governance in Nigeria. Idris highlighted the need for a transformative potential of accurate, transparent, and accessible public information to society.

“In an era where fake news, propaganda, and biased reporting can significantly influence public opinion and decision-making, media literacy fosters critical thinking. It helps individuals analyze the intent behind media messages, understand the context in which they are presented, and assess their accuracy and relevance,” the minister said.

To showcase the readiness and implementation of the project, the minister announced the immediate operationalization of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Institute in Abuja. He pointed out that the institute, which is the first of its kind globally, will equip Nigerians with tools to identify credible information and discredit misinformation.

Idris added that public communication at all levels must operate to meet the dynamic needs of the digital age. He expressed confidence that these measures would position public information management as a tool for national development and strengthen democracy. 

Read More: Minister of Information unveils plan to curb fake news and misinformation.