Semenitari Disowns Fraudulent Mail, Bank Account

The attention of the Ag. Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, has been drawn to a fictitious electronic mail currently in circulation purporting to have its origin from her. To make it bear the emblem of authenticity, those behind it hacked into Semenitari’s official email portal, subsequently signing-off the mail in her name. 

In a press release by the SA(Media) to the Ag. MD/CEO, Bekee Anyalewechi, he said that the said correspondence claims  Semenitari is seeking various financial gratification to the tune of N700,000 from various contractors and vendors doing business with NDDC. However, a little scrutiny would reveal that it lacks the characteristics of coherence, quality diction and grammatical fluidity which are trademarks of correspondences originating from Semenitari. 

The fake mail reads, “Good day, I’ve a personal outstanding totalling the sum of 700,000. I will need you to credit Mr Onos account details with the required amount. Find below his account information. Jonafuvwe Onos, 0040271951, Diamond Bank. Please note this is not official and should be treated as such”.

Semenitari, whose knack for prudence, frugality and respect for rules is open to staffers of NDDC, the Commission’s contractors and vendors,  does not know any Jonafuvwe Onos, nor has she a link to the said Diamond Bank A/C. If the particulars referenced in the email are verifiable, Semenitari shares no relationship whatsoever with them. 

Obviously the handiwork of fraudsters, who would stop at nothing to rubbish and denigrate the reforms Semenitari has brought into NDDC, the email clearly bears the signature of commonplace, online criminals tagged as yahoo yahoo boys and official pick-pockets who lurk around the fringes of nobility and character which Semenitari represents. But rather than aspire to attain such pedestal through hard work, the fraudsters mire deeper into ignominy and opprobrium. 

Semenitari, a discreet public servant verse in public financial rules and regulations, had at no time, either in person, or through an intermediary, front, proxy, Special or Personal Assistant, commissioned anybody to solicit for or accommodate any gratification on her behalf. It is on record that one of the first official actions she initiated upon assumption of duty in December 2015 was a campaign against corruption that included kick-back and bribery. Till date, her zeal in extending the tempo and sustaining the success so far achieved in that regard remains fresh. 

Therefore, we counsel contractors, vendors and the general public doing business with NDDC not to subscribe to the scam mail and its content. They should watch out for fraudsters who would stop at nothing to sabotage genuine efforts at reforming NDDC and repositioning it to fulfil its core mandate of driving development in the Niger Delta region. 

Since her appointment, Semenitari has worked hard to reposition NDDC, including evolving a new culture of transparency in government business. It is a worthy legacy Semenitari would not compromise for as long as she remains the CEO.