On Friday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) dissociated itself from ODF FOUNDATION, a non-profit owned by actress Nkechi Blessing’s estranged lover, Opeyemi Falegan.
‘‘SCAM ALERT.UNICEF Nigeria is aware of a fictitious donation drive to raise funds for UNICEF. Please be aware that all legitimate campaigns for donations are hosted on the UNICEF website and verified social media pages. Do not fall victim to this scam,’’ the agency wrote on its official social media pages.https://www.instagram.com/p/CcFcuHjOoAY/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=1029&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.premiumtimesng.com&rp=%2Fentertainment%2Fnollywood%2F522708-unicef-dissociates-self-from-nkechi-blessings-ex-lovers-foundation.html#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A19545%7D
A quick check by PREMIUM TIMES on UNICEF’s website showed that ODF Foundation is not listed as one of the humanitarian aid organisation’s partners agencies.
Mr Falegun did not return calls nor respond to text messages by our reporter.
The foundation, which says it is committed to empowering widows and uplifting the lives of the less privileged, is situated in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Mr Falegan had initially announced a N54 million fundraiser. However, he was only able to raise N33,278 before UNICEF Nigeria issued the disclaimer on Friday.
Mr Falegan, on his Instagram page, announced the donations ended on Friday, saying he was able to raise 61pounds for the people of Ukraine through UNICEF.
He said: ‘‘This (the funds) is for the people of Ukraine who passed through a lot of dysfunctional/ disheartening situations in recent times.’’