Scam alert: Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme a clickbait, not real

 



By O'star Eze 



The youth empowerment scheme links currently circulating on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and X in Nigeria; often promising grants of ₦150,000 to ₦700,000 for business or education under names like "National Youth Empowerment Fund" or "Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme (P-YES)", are not approved by President Bola Tinubu or the federal government. They are well-documented scams designed to harvest personal data (e.g., BVN, NIN, bank details) or spread phishing links, and have been debunked repeatedly by fact-checkers and official sources.


Key Evidence It's a Scam:

- Recurring Hoax Pattern: These links mimic legitimate programs like the official Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme (P-YES, launched under the previous administration) but direct users to fake sites with mismatched flags (e.g., Uganda, Kenya, South Africa alongside Nigeria's), amateur designs, and demands to share the link with 15+ contacts to "unlock" funds. Official P-YES applications go through p-yes.gov.ng, not these domains like ethut.co or lyulink.com.

- Official Warnings: The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Students Affairs has issued alerts about fraudulent sites exploiting P-YES claims. More recently, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) warned in June 2025 about fake social media accounts pushing similar "youth empowerment" registrations.

- Fact-Checks Confirm Fraud: Independent verifiers like Africa Check, PesaCheck, and 211Check have flagged these as phishing operations since 2021, with resurgences in 2022 and 2025. They collect data for identity theft or force unwanted loans, not grants.

- **No Recent Presidential Approval**: Searches for 2025 announcements show no new "youth empowerment fund" endorsed by Tinubu. Legitimate initiatives like the Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP) exist via official channels (leep.gov.ng) for skills and jobs, but they don't involve unsolicited WhatsApp links or quick-cash promises.


What to Do Instead:

- Verify via official sites: Check fmyd.gov.ng (Federal Ministry of Youth Development) or p-yes.gov.ng for real opportunities.

- Report suspicious links to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or police cyber units.

- Avoid sharing personal info on unsolicited forms—real government schemes never require forwarding messages or paying fees to "apply."


If you've encountered a specific link, share it for deeper verification, but based on patterns, treat it as clickbait fraud.

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