By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria is partnering with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to strengthen the country’s capacity to detect, investigate, and prosecute illicit activities, particularly those connected to solid minerals exploitation.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, after receiving a delegation from UNODC led by Mr Tom Parker in Abuja.

The collaboration signals Nigeria’s increasing focus on leveraging international expertise and technology in restoring order to the extractive industries, an area historically plagued by illegal mining, lost revenue, and environmental degradation.

“The initiative is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to detect, investigate, and prosecute financial crimes linked to conflict and terrorism, particularly those associated with the solid minerals sector,” Mr Alake said.

The UNODC team commended recent Nigerian efforts to tackle illegal mining, specifically the establishment of the Mining Marshals, a dedicated security outfit launched earlier this year.

The Marshals, according to the Minister, have already begun arresting and prosecuting illegal operators across mining hotspots.

“Since their deployment, the Marshals have been active in arresting and prosecuting illegal miners. Encouragingly, we are already seeing a shift, as many operators are now working to regularise their activities and comply with the law.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the deployment of a satellite-based monitoring system to enhance real-time surveillance of mining operations nationwide. The system is expected to revolutionize oversight in the sector by enabling instant detection of illegal activities and prompt response by security agencies.

“This will allow us to identify incidents in real time and ensure timely intervention by security personnel,” Mr Alake revealed, stressing the importance of modern tools in addressing systemic exploitation of Nigeria’s mineral wealth.

He emphasized the UNODC partnership is central to the government’s strategy to safeguard national resources and disrupt terror-linked illicit financial flows often concealed within the solid minerals value chain.

“We welcome the support of the UNODC in this critical effort. Strengthening our institutional capacity to combat illicit financial flows and criminal activity in the mining sector is essential to protecting Nigeria’s natural resources and national security,” the Minister stated.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The House of Representatives has launched an official investigation into accusations of fund misappropriation, regulatory violations, and unethical practices linked to the student loan scheme established by the Bola Tinubu-led administration.

Lawmakers cautioned that such issues could jeopardize one of Nigeria’s most crucial educational support initiatives.

During the opening session of the public hearing, Speaker of the House, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, affirmed the legislature’s resolve to prevent the student loan initiative from being undermined by administrative inefficiencies, weak oversight, or intentional misconduct.

Mr Abbas stated that public trust and the credibility of the programme are at risk, stressing that lawmakers would not remain passive while serious allegations were ignored.

The investigative hearing, organized jointly by the House Committees on Public Accounts and Students Loans, aims to examine allegations of delayed fund releases, lack of openness, and potential collusion among stakeholders involved in administering the loan scheme.

Mr Abbas called the investigation both a constitutional duty and an ethical obligation to safeguard the interests of young Nigerians who rely on the scheme to pursue higher education.

Referring to Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Mr Abbas reminded the audience that the National Assembly holds the legal authority to scrutinize the performance of any entity responsible for implementing its legislation.

He reiterated the investigation was not designed to target individuals unfairly, but rather to expose systemic failures, improve procedural efficiency, and reinforce transparency in the use of public resources.

“Our intention is not to witch-hunt but to guarantee that every naira meant for Nigerian students is spent responsibly and in an open manner.”

He praised the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), created under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act of 2024, as a cornerstone of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Mr Abbas noted that so far, over 600,000 applications had been processed and more than N73 billion disbursed to students nationwide.

Despite these achievements, he warned that rising claims of fund mismanagement could derail what should be a groundbreaking educational support effort.

“This hearing is designed to verify the allegations, pinpoint procedural or institutional shortcomings, and propose corrective actions, including disciplinary measures if warranted.”

The Committee Chairman, Mr Ifeoluwa Ehindero acknowledged the student loan programme had revived hope for many Nigerian households and was already delivering measurable impact.

According to Mr Ehindero, by June 30, 2025, a total of N73.1 billion had been distributed to 366,247 students in federal and state tertiary institutions.

“Out of this sum, N38.26 billion was used for tuition, while N34.85 billion went toward upkeep support, benefitting students in more than 206 institutions.”

He commended Speaker Abbas for his leadership and dedication to openness, which had empowered the joint committee to establish a neutral platform focused on accountability and reform.

“Our mission is not punitive,” Mr Ehindero said, “We aim to enhance transparency, strengthen the disbursement framework, and ensure the scheme benefits all parties involved.”

In his remarks, Akintunde Sawyer, the Managing Director of NELFUND, reported the Fund had registered over 650,000 applicants and currently processes around 2,000 applications per day.

He clarified that every application is subjected to a verification process, and funds are disbursed directly to the applicants’ institutions upon approval.

The House Committees however resolved to hold additional hearings with regulatory bodies, key institutions, and students affected by the process, with the ultimate goal of rebuilding public trust in the student loan initiative.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukayode, has urged the National Assembly to speedily pass the Unexplained Wealth Bill.

Mr Olukayode made the appeal at the ongoing National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance, organised by the Senate and House of Representatives Public Accounts Committees on Thursday.

“Help me pass the Unexplained Wealth Bill, I’ve been begging for the past one year. This same bill was thrown out in the last Assembly. If we don’t make individuals accountable for what they have, we’ll never get it right,” he pleaded.

The bill seeks to go after Nigerians with no known source of wealth or with illicit means of gathering wealth.

Speaking at the event, he said the anti-graft has mounting evidences of people living above their means and there was no clear-cut law holding them accountable.

“In the last three weeks, we started a commission-wide investigation into the extractive industry, particularly the oil and gas sector. What we have discovered is mind-boggling.

“We have only just opened the books. So much more corruption is to be unraveled. If this is what we’re seeing at the surface, imagine what lies beneath.

“There is a very strong connection between the mismanagement of our resources and insecurity.

“When you look at banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, trace it back, and you will find a pattern of corrupt practices and diversion of funds that were meant to improve people’s lives.

“Someone has worked in a ministry for 20 years. We calculate their entire salary and allowances. Then we find five property , two in Maitama, three in Asokoro. Yet, we’re told to go and prove a predicate offence before we can act. That is absurd,” he said.

The EFCC boss urged all Nigerians to put aside creed, politics and ethnic sentiments to block revenue leakage and save the economy of the country.

Mr Olukayode also said that Nigerians should not fail to take advantage presented by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to block revenue leakage as it could spell doom for the country.

According to him, no amount of capacity will be able to recover half of the resources stolen from Nigeria as many host countries are not willing to repatriate.

He said that the best option was to prevent corruption saying that failure to do so, corruption would kill the country.