By Onwa Ekor
Cross River Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency (CR-MEDA), has warned the public against reported extortion attributed to Senator Owan Enoh MSMEs support fund in the state.
A statement signed by the Manager, Corporate Affairs and Clients Services, CR-MEDA, Nissi Obiang, and made available to newsmen in Calabar, disclosed that the Agency’s attention was drawn to widespread rumours of extortion on the Owan Enoh MSMEs Support Fund.
According to the statement, “It has come to our attention that individuals are being asked for money in exchange for their application forms or to become a beneficiary of this grant, a process which was designed to be free.
“CR-MEDA wishes to state unequivocally clear that this agency does not, and will not request any form of payment from its beneficiaries for any of her programs.
“This includes past initiatives like the very successful Retiree Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI), the BOI nano grants and the ongoing Cross River, SMEDAN, Sterling Bank loan verification exercise,” the statement read.
Cross River MEDA further condemned the activities of the perpetrators which it described as “fraudulent,” urging the public not to be victims of such ugly trends.
It warned that anyone involved in the purported scam should be reported to the appropriate authorities immediately.
The statement added that for accurate information and updates, the public should refer to its official communication channels for clarification.
