Claim: A WhatsApp message is directing Nigerians to apply for Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) recruitment with N80,500 monthly stipend via a website.
The information circulating on WhatsApp urging Nigerians to apply for the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) via a certain link is false. The legitimate link to apply for the programme is https://www.njfp.ng/apply.
Full Story
A WhatsApp post claims the Federal Government recently opened a portal for the recruitment exercise of Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) with a monthly stipend of N80,500.
The post reads: “FG Opens Portal for Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) Recruitment (N80,500 monthly stipends). Apply Now
“Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Portal; Are you a young talented Nigerian? Do you have an interest in enhancing your youthful employability, building leadership competencies, and transferring on-the-job skills? If yes, then worry no more because we have good news for you.
“Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme is a one-year (12months) youth empowerment Programme. It is a partnership initiative between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).*
*Hurry Now Apply and Check if You are Eligible to Receive (80,500 monthly stipends).*
“_This Grant Is Available To All Cityzens_Please, share widely to other WhatsApp groups to help others apply.
“_Apply Here_https://tinyurl.com/Apply-FG-Jubilee-Programme.”
Verification
Dubawa first noticed the message is riddled with grammatical errors and irregular capitalisation of words.
After clicking the link, the website was redirected to https://www.nigerian-jubilee-get-funds.online/?m=0#1631478308277. The landing page has a welcome message which says “NIGERIAN JUBILEE Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) is a youth empowerment partnership initiative between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Rising unemployment and the COVID-19 pandemic are all impacting the ability of young Nigerians to find work..
Applicants will receive a monthly stipend which will be covered by the NJFP for the first year.
(80,000 monthly stipends). Apply Now By Filling The Form Below👇👇.”
The page requested applicants to provide personal details such as names, phone number, address and email address.
Dubawa provided wrong information in order to access other pages of the website.
The second page reads: “Congratulations You are a step closer to geting listed as one of the beneficiary of Nigerian Jubilee Fellows Programme. Answer the following three questions to benefit immediately!
1. What is Your Employment Status?
2. What is your marital status?
3. Why Do You Want This Grant?”
This reporter was thereafter asked to share the information with 15 friends or five groups in order to obtain the withdrawal code for the N80,500 stipend. Also, the page has a cloned Facebook comment interface that shows testimonials of beneficiaries.
Further analysis using Domingdata, a web tool used to verify the authenticity of a website, revealed that the website has IP geolocation of United States, California, Emeryville with several abuse reports.
What is the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme
The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) is a youth empowerment partnership initiative between the Federal Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The project was flagged off on August 31, 2021, by President Muhammadu Buhari with the aim of helping 20,000 graduates annually with post-COVID-19 job search.
The programme aims to equip Nigerian graduates with practical knowledge and relevant skills for a 12-month period, with or without job experience, thereby connecting them with local job opportunities.
The sectors include information and communications technology, financial services, trade, manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing, mining, telecommunications, creative industries and technology, education, health, research and development. The programme will create three options for applicants upon completion of the fellowship, including retainship with respective host organisations, entrepreneurship opportunities, and a platform to compete and access future jobs and employment opportunities.
How to apply for the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme
Further checks by Dubawa show that the official website of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) is https://www.njfp.ng/ as opposed to the one in the WhatsApp message. Applications are open from 6 September 2021 to 20 October 2021.
To be eligible, applicants must;
- Be a Nigerian citizen.
- Be a fresh graduate (Bachelor’s Degree) from any discipline — not earlier than 2017.
- Graduate with at least a Second Class Lower (2.2) and above.
- Be at most 30 years old.
- Not currently engaged in any employment.
- Have completed the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) OR have a certificate of exemption from the NYSC.
- Demonstrate interest/commitment in chosen career field.
- Demonstrate interest/commitment to contributing to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
- Have excellent time management and a professional attitude.
- Have good verbal and written communication skills.
Interested applicants can begin the application process via this link, https://www.njfp.ng/apply.
Dubawa has conducted several fact checks on misleading websites riding on the back of legitimate projects with the aim of deceiving people. One claimed MTN was giving out N20,000 cash, 5GB worth of data and cars to celebrate its 20th anniversary in Nigeria while another claimed the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) was recruiting to fill vacant positions in some ministries and department agencies.
Conclusion
The information circulating on WhatsApp urging Nigerians to apply for the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) via a certain link is false. The legitimate link to apply for the programme is https://www.njfp.ng/apply.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2021 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with The Nigerian Tribune to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
