Presidential Grant: Ebonyi To Prosecute Officials Extorting Applicants

Director-general of Ebonyi State Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (EBSMEDA) and focal person, Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme, Ebonyi State, Dr Stephen Odoh, has vowed to arrest and prosecute any team member involved in the alleged extortion of applicants in the ongoing physical verification exercise.

Odoh expressed regret over the allegations against the team members handling the exercise at some designated centres in the state.

The focal person who condemned the allegation described it as a sabotage to the unrelenting efforts of the government in ensuring the successful implementation of the scheme in the state.

He said the agency in collaboration with other relevant authorities and partners is investigating the veracity or otherwise of the allegation for appropriate action.

Odoh maintained that the verification exercise is free of charge adding that none of the verification teams has been mandated to collect money from applicants.

“All applicants of the Presidential Conditional Grant are to note that the verification is free of charge as none of the verification teams has been mandated to collect money from any of the applicants for any reason whatsoever.

“The agency will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any member of the verification teams or anybody caught extorting any of the applicants in the name of either verifying them or to facilitate their payment.

“Applicants for the grant are advised not to give anybody money to be verified and should not hesitate to report any member of the verification team or anybody found extorting them to the agency or security agencies nearest to them,” he said.