The Ondo State Government has warned members of the public to ignore messages being sent through bulk SMS to potential beneficiaries of Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) loan in the state.
Speaking with newsmen on Friday in Akure, Mrs Olubunmi Ademosu, the Special Adviser to Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Public and Intergovernmental Relations, said that government was not involved nor informed of such activity.
Ademosun denied any government involvement in an attempt by a group of people planning to defraud potential beneficiaries of the GEEP loan in the state.
The governor’s aide said that bulk SMS was being sent to a large number of people in the state, directing them to report at a location in Akure for interview.
She said that the message directing the applicants to report at No. 1, Aguda Close, Opposite L’Afarge Depot, Ondo Road for documentation and interview was not from the government.
Ademosun, also said that the message did not emanate from the office of the Bank of Industry or the State Focal Person, thereby making it a fraudulent one.
She said that none of the data or information submitted for application for GEEP loan had been released for grant anywhere.
The special adviser decried a situation where a group of people could come together to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
She stressed that government had since put in place a platform that would ensure all interested and qualified applicants benefit from the loan.
Ademosu warned that all those behind the fraudulent practices would be tracked and dealt with according to the law.
