NO! N-Power has not shortlisted successful applicants

CLAIM:  A viral post on WhatsApp claims successful N-Power applicants have been shortlisted.

VERDICT: FALSE! Based on these findings and response by the supervising ministry in charge of the N-Power programme, the claim is false

FULL STORY: A viral post on WhatsApp claims successful N-Power applicants have been shortlisted for the next batch of the programme.

The forwarded-as-received post attempts to direct the public to https://n-power-list.bid in order to ascertain if they have been shortlisted.

The post reads: “Check your name on the N-Power Shortlisted names. Documentation will commence immediately. Click Here https://n-power-list.bid.”

Dubawa sighted this post on multiple groups on the instant messaging app.

VERIFICATION: N-Power is a scheme set up by the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari since 8 June 2016, to address the issues of youth unemployment and help increase social development.

It was created as a component of the National Social Investment Program and is now under the supervision of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

On 26 June 2020, online enrolment for N-Power Batch C beneficiaries commenced and within 48 hours, more than 1 million applications

When Dubawa visited the purported website, the landing page looked similar to N-Power website. The website asked this reporter to input a phone number registered for the N-Power programme.

This reporter added a disconnected phone number that was never registered on N-Power platform.

This reporter was thereafter congratulated for making the shortlist.

The notification on the website reads “Congratulations, you have been shortlisted for the N-power Program!

“You will be reached through e-mail on the next thing to do. Always ensure you check your E-mail frequently.

“How to Start Documentation?

“1. To start your documentation, First click the green button “WHATSAPP” and send this information to 12 groups on WhatsApp!

“2. After sending the message, you will go to the next step where you will be able to process your documentation.”

A further analysis using Scam Doc,  a web tool that evaluates the reliability of “digital identities” (email addresses or websites) showed that the website has a 1% trust score.

Scam Doc added that: “The domain name is very recent (less than 6 months). The owner of the domain name is hidden: check privacy policies! The creation of the domain name is rather recent. Short life expectancy domain. This domain name is linked to one or more countries known for being used by fraudulent websites.”

Dubawa, thereafter, contacted Rhoda Iliya, the Deputy Director, Information in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development which supervises the N-Power programme to ascertain the truthfulness or otherwise of the information.

This is “fake news, please,” she said in a text message to this reporter.

CONCLUSION: Based on these findings and response by the supervising ministry in charge of the N-Power programme, the claim is false and not trustworthy.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2020 Fellowship partnership with The Nigerian Tribune to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.