The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has proclaimed its innocence following a report circulating in the media, claiming that the commission has failed to fulfil its promise to pay trainees for a purported skill acquisition programme.

The supposed skill acquisition programme, said to have been organised by a religious group, Victorious Prayer Network, allegedly took place in Bayelsa and Rivers states.

The organisers claimed that the NDDC promised to sponsor over 2,000 trainees and give them starter packs. They accused the NDDC of reneging on that promise.

However, washing its hands off the programme, NDDC said Tuesday in a DISCLAIMER signed by Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director, Corporate Affairs: ?We wish to clarify that the NDDC approved no such training programme, and whatever training was organised under suspicious circumstances did not have the blessings and approval of the Commission. The individuals behind these allegations against the NDDC were never engaged by the Commission to carry out skills training.

?We wish to state unequivocally that the NDDC is not behind this particular skill acquisition training. Our programmes are usually well-advertised and open to scrutiny. We recently launched a comprehensive technical skills acquisition programme to equip participants with practical, in-demand skills in Port Harcourt.

?Members of the public, especially our youths, are advised to be cautious and circumspect in dealing with some questionable persons claiming to be acting on behalf of the NDDC.

?It is disturbing that some mischievous individuals are trying to take advantage of our youths who are genuinely eager to be gainfully engaged in legitimate activities.

?We assure all our stakeholders that we remain committed to transparency and fairness in all our activities, including our youth empowerment and skill acquisition programmes.

?In light of this unfortunate development, we urge our youth to be wary of desperate people seeking undeserved financial gains.

?All inquiries about our youth empowerment programmes should be channelled through our official communication platforms. We also encourage beneficiaries of our programmes to verify facts on the NDDC?s official website: [www.nddc.gov.ng] and our social media handles.?

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