IN SHORT: Many Nigerian students are struggling to pay their tuition fees. But these Facebook posts claiming that senator Ned Nokwo is giving away scholarships are scams. They are engagement bait posts and should be ignored.
“Apply For Grant & Study Nursing with Full Scholarship Abroad For all citizens. Ending Next Month,” reads a post on Facebook.
The post, which has attracted over 19,000 comments, features a graphic with the image of Nigerian senator Ned Nwoko and a link where interested candidates can supposedly apply. The posts imply that Nwoko is involved in awarding the scholarships.
The same claim has been posted on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
But is the scholarship offer legit? We checked.
Malicious website
Nwoko’s philanthropic work has been widely reported by the media. However, we found no news of him awarding scholarships to Nigerian students abroad.
A search of the Ned Nwoko Foundation’s website and social media handles brought up nothing to support the scholarships claim.
The posts link to a website, with the headline: “APPLY FOR GRANT & STUDY NURSING WITH FULL SCHOLARSHIP ABROAD FOR ALL CITIZENS NG.”
This points to a tactic known as engagement bait. This means that the more people who share, comment or like the posts, the greater the reach of the link.
To prevent yourself from falling victim to scams, read our guide on how to spot scams on Facebook.
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