Runsewe: Palliatives Scammers On The Prowl

The President, World Craft Council, Africa Region and Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, has advised industry players and institutional investors in the culture and tourism sector of the economy to beware of scammers and fraudsters masquerading as government licensed consultants and financial consortium.

In a release, Runsewe warned that scammers were on the prowl, using government institutions to defraud people, deceiving their victims that they had the power to provide post-COVID palliatives and sundry investment titles for a fee.

The NCAC boss disclosed that the con-artists were usually armed with well-articulated and faultless proposals, as well as fictitious references, bandying mouth-watering financial intervention, all packaged to defraud unsuspecting individuals and state governments.

Worried Runsewe revealed: “We have been receiving calls from stakeholders around the country, calling my attention to these individuals and their activities which, if left unchecked, may ruin our efforts to build trust and confidence between registered operators and financial institutions on one hand, and between federal government and state governments on the other.”

The scammers’ ploy, he continued, was to use government initiatives on palliatives and sundry commitments as an instrument to fleece their victims. But he said the fraudsters would meet their waterloo.

“As chairman, Implementation Committee on COVID-19 palliatives, and President, World Craft Council (Africa Region), I will work with appropriate security agencies to expose these filthy individuals,” Runsewe said. “In the coming weeks, I will interface with private sector players, financial institutions and state governments on what is going on in the system.

“We are aware that certain gaps are being exploited by these smart guys who are not working alone, but have solid insider contacts and information which they use to deceive and cheat people of their legitimate resources under the guise of helping them to access funds and credit waivers.”

The NCAC Director General enjoined practitioners and state governments to do necessary due diligence by contacting the Federal Government-established Implementation Committee on Creative Industry, as well as relevant security agencies before prospecting for any Cultural Tourism financial aids or waivers.

“This is a red flag that we are waving,” said Runsewe. “We are drumming this warning loud and clear. Let no one tell us they didn’t hear our advisory. I must warn banks and insurance companies to beware, particularly in the choice of corporate entities and individuals that purport to be trading or representing their interest with the general public. Nothing should be done under the table so that innocent stakeholders are not taken advantage of by scammers.”

Though Otunba Runsewe agreed that the industry was badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and huge revenues lost due to the lockdown, operators in the creative and tourism industry should be careful in looking for quick fix solutions.

He revealed that it was in order to protect them and their investments that the Minister of Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, established and inaugurated the post-COVID-19 Intervention Committee with the mandate to help find immediate and future remedies to the huge impact of the pandemic on the industry.

The NCAC boss assured that the Minister and his department were working assiduously to protector operators and stakeholders from rampaging fraudsters.

“We urge patience,” he continued. “Let all of us be patient as strategic plans to arrest the trend have been activated. Stakeholders are involved in the plans and actually driving the interventions.

“The Central Bank as well as the Bankers Committee are part of the financial institutions partnership in executing the creative industry palliatives mandate. With all these efforts in place, whoever allows himself to be scammed should not blame the federal government and the states for their fate. The Federal Government is doing its best to help the creative and tourism economies.”