US-based Nigerian actor Williams Uchemba has been accused of fraud by another US-based Nigerian human rights activist Edafe Okporo.
Mr Uchemba had posed as a United Nations ambassador and even met with President Muhammadu Buhari for his work on youth matters in September.
But a UN youth envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake who is an aide to UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Uchemba was unknown to the organisation.
Mr Okporo had shared a screenshot of a supposed chat thread with Uchemba requesting information on how to attend an upcoming UN Youth Assembly event.
The response from the former child actor read, “I will need three things from you: passport data page, email address and registration fee ($1,000). After payment is confirmed, I will then send you a questionnaire for you to fill and send back.
“The $1,000 covers for your United Nations invitation letter (which is what you will take to the embassy and the UN will also send a copy to the embassy) which is also registration and admission into the UN HQ, your training materials and certificate from the United Nations, your US visa process and filling of your DA-160 (online form).”
According to screenshots that went viral on social media, Okporo alerted Wickramanayake who responded that she was working on a message “to save young people from scams like these.”
In a message on Twitter the UN envoy said, “It has been brought to my attention that organisations and individuals claim affiliation to my office and the United Nations, promising participation in meetings and conferences upon payment of a fee.
“Please note: The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage for participating in meetings and conferences. The Office of the United Nations Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth does not have country or regional representatives.”
Uchemba has denied the allegation in a series of videos posted on Instagram on Sunday.
