Award Scam: CIOB Impersonator Suspends Programme after THISDAY Report
Omolabake Fashogbon
The initiator of the CIOB Meet Nigeria award and exhibition programme has suspended the event after THISDAY investigation that exposed the programme to be a scam.
THISDAY report revealed how one Onabekun allegedly impersonated a global building professional body in the United Kingdom , Chartered Institute of Building, CIOB, which he claimed to be the organisers of the programme.
As a result, he was able to lure many including the Nigerian government, professional builders and investors to sponsor the programme with a promise of helping them to get a membership status of the institute or get an industry award from CIOB as the case maybe.
Investigation revealed how the unsuspecting persons were made to pay up to N10 million for the non existing industry award from CIOB and membership.
A statement dismissing the programme by CIOB Media Relations Manager, Becky Trotman, reads, “Thanks for getting in touch. The event you refer to is not a CIOB event, and we do not have a ‘sister Institute’ in Nigeria called CIOB Nigeria Hub. We assume someone is using the CIOB name to promote an event, which is nothing to do with us, and we’ll be investigating why this is the case.”
THISDAY reliably gathered that the new date for the event as communicated by Onabekun is June 16th-17th June , 2023.
The programme was initially slated for April 27 and 28, 2023.
But reacting to the new date, Trotman in a statement made available to THISDAY reiterated that CIOB was not part of the event, urging members of the public to be wary.
She stressed, “This event is not affiliated to the Chartered Institute of Building or been ratified by us in any way. Anyone who would like to check the legitimacy of an event is welcome to contact us directly, as can anyone interested in joining us a member. An investigation into the use of the CIOB brand for this event is ongoing and we are unable to comment further on that investigation while it is in progress.”
