The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has sounded a note of warning to Nigerians to be cautious of a fraudulent website that poses as the National Startup Investment Fund Programme.
According to the website, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment is partnering with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Bank of Industry to carry out the alleged scheme (BoI).
The website also displayed the Nigeria Startup Act, which President Buhari recently signed, in an effort to mislead many Nigerians by portraying the ‘program’ as the startup fund that the Act required the government to establish.
NITDA in a statement issued via its social media platforms distanced itself from the website and warned Nigerians not to divulge personal information on the website. The agency said:
“The attention of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has been drawn to an Investment Fund Programme named “National Startup Investment Fund Programme“, accessible via ( https://nationalstartupinvestmentfund.com) being purported to be from the federal government and requesting for individuals and startups in Nigeria to apply.
“NITDA is hereby notifying the general public that the federal government has nothing to do with this programme as being purported by the site. Additionally. NITDA advises the general public to avoid and desist from divulging personal information on this website and urges unsuspecting Nigerians to only visit official websites of government agencies to confirm the authenticity of any grant schemes or investment fund programmes.”
While announcing the signing of the Nigeria Startup Act by President Buhari in October, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami disclosed that the president also approved the setup of an N10 billion Investment Fund for young innovators. However, the fund that the fraudulent site is claiming to represent has not been set up, according to NITDA.
