Claim: A viral social media post suggests that the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia and the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) are recruiting new staff.
Verdict: False! LRA and NEC are not recruiting new employees, the two entities clarified.
Full Text
Recently, these viral links have flooded social media, particularly Facebook and WhatsApp, where both the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia, the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), and the World Health Organisation are recruiting new staff.
These links, especially the ones purported to be from NEC, emerged when the country is gearing up for its 4th post-war elections, which would necessitate hiring some new temporary staff to help the NEC conduct the elections across the country.
The link states, “The National Elections Commission is recruiting ad hoc staff for the upcoming elections. Interested applicants should click the link below to apply now.”
While the link purported to be from the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) said, “The Liberia Revenue Authority is inviting the general public to apply for the ongoing recruitment. Interested Applicants should click the link below to apply now.”
Verification
Knowing that these claims are crucial, especially as the country prepares for its October 10, 2023, presidential and legislative elections, DUBAWA embarked on an investigation to ascertain the authenticity of the two links.
To begin with, DUBAWA visited the official websites of the two institutions to compare with links that have been parading social media, and this is what we discovered.
The original website of the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia was completely different from the purported link.
We also compared the official website of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to the purported link shared on social media.
Not satisfied, DUBAWA contacted the communications officers of the two entities, Kaihenneh Sengbeh of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and Henry Flomo of the National Elections Commission.
Mr Kaihenneh Sengbeh, through a WhatsApp conversation with DUBAWA, shared a press statement distancing the LRA from the said link.
According to the statement, the LRA encourages the public not to give in to any such link as it only intends to steal would-be victims’ personal information and identity.
The statement says, “The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) disassociates itself from a link circulating on social media indicating that it is hiring thousands of revenue and tax officers, including security and IT professionals. This information is false and distasteful.”
Here are screenshots from the WhatsApp conversations between LRA communications Director Kaihenneh Sengbeh and DUBAWA and the press statement.
DUBAWA also contacted the communications Director of the National Elections Commission, Henry Flomo, through WhatsApp but he has since refused to respond to DUBAWA’s inquiry, as seen in the screenshot below
But DUBAWA visited the official Facebook page of the National Elections Commission (NEC) and discovered that the NEC has since distanced itself from the said account.
Meanwhile, before this, the National Elections Commission has since distanced itself from several fake links indicating that the only genuine link through which members could seek employment is the one posted on their website.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence from the Liberia Revenue Authority and the National Elections Commission of Liberia, the two entities are not hiring, and the viral links are fake.
