By: Mercy Peter
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday raised alarm over a fake recruitment scam circulating online, claiming to be from the ministry and offering jobs in Nigeria’s diplomatic missions abroad.
The spokesperson to the ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa said the public should disregard such messages.
“We want to put on record that the ministry doesn’t recruit officers directly, not at all,” Ebienfa said. “Recruitment of foreign service officers is done by the Federal Civil Service Commission and not by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
He stressed that the scam started with online advertisements falsely signed by the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in the last 24 hours, scammers have moved further by sending fake employment letters to unsuspecting Nigerians.
“One of the fake messages reads: ‘We are pleased to inform you that your application has been considered for diplomatic services at the Embassy of Nigeria in Juba, South Sudan to take effect 12 May 2025.
“It even directs candidates to pay N165,800 for a diplomatic passport”,
Ebienfa described the offer as entirely fake. “This did not emanate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“There is no way you will be recruited into the Nigerian Diplomatic Service without going through the process of training, which is the Foreign Service Academy”.
He clarified that all recruits into the Foreign Service go through a clear and formal process: recruitment by the Federal Civil Service Commission, training at the Foreign Service Academy, then eventual deployment abroad.
“The first deployment is one year of attachment. Subsequent postings last three years.”
He therefore warned that no Nigerian should believe any job offer claiming to be directly from the ministry, or pay for a diplomatic passport.
“Diplomatic passports are free. “Even official passports for civil servants are free. So nobody should fall victim”.
Ebienfa said the scammers are using the names of top officials of the ministry, including his own. “They are sending out emails with my name as the signatory,”.
“This is not just about fake news. It is about protecting Nigerians from losing their hard-earned money and protecting the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, he added.
