The federal government has warned Nigerians not to provide fraudulent online employment programs in diplomatic missions abroad.
The Foreign Ministry smeared the scam in a statement Wednesday and clarified that it did not conduct direct recruitment.
Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa said the recruitment of foreign service officers was handled only by the federal civil service commission.
“We want to record in the case of record, the ministry will not directly recruit officials; foreign service officials are recruited by the Federal Civil Service Commission,” Ebienfa said.
According to Ebienfa, the scammer even sent fraudulent emails to unsuspecting individuals in his name.
“They are sending emails with my name as the signer. It’s not just about fake news. It’s about protecting Nigerians from making money and protecting the Ministry’s name,” he said.
One of the fraudulent information allegedly informed the recipients of a successful diplomatic service application in Juba, South Sudan, instructing them to pay N165,800 to their diplomatic passport.
He said: “One of the false news reads: ‘We are pleased to inform you that your application has been considered for effective at the Nigerian Embassy of Nigeria in Juba, South Sudan, and effective on May 12, 2025.
It even instructed the candidate to pay N165,800 to the diplomatic passport. ”
Ebienfa dismissed the proposal as a complete fabrication, reiterating that all diplomatic recruitment follows a structured process: selection of the federal civil service committee, training of the foreign service college and formal deployment.
He added that diplomatic and official passports are issued for free.
He warned: “No Nigerian should pay for diplomatic passports or believe any work offer claimed to be directly from the ministry.”
The ministry urges the public to ignore such news and report suspicious activity to appropriate authorities.
