President Bola Tinubu’s administration has allegedly accepted a secret scholarship program. This program sends Nigerian high college graduates to vocational training in Russia. The training is hooked up to factories that fetch suicide drones, Of us Gazette stories.
In 2023, the Federal Ministry of Training released an advert inviting Nigerian graduates to join a training venture at Alabuga Polytechnic College in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan.
The advert acknowledged:
“Right here’s to inform all qualified Nigerian candidates used 18-22, holding O’Level certificates, that the Special Economic Zone of Alabuga offers admission and vocational training ‘Alabuga Originate’ for the 2023/2024 Tutorial Session.”
The training includes industrial robotics, microelectronics, industrial automation, BIM obtain, and chemistry.
Alabuga is Russia’s largest industrial special financial zone. It is known for factories that have Iranian-designed suicide drones for the Russian militia. These factories started producing drones rapidly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
A 2025 anecdote by the International Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crimes confirmed that over 300 ladies folk, mostly from Africa and Latin The US, had been recruited. They joined below the promise of a “work-eye program” however ended up working in drone factories.
According to The Related Press, some African ladies folk had been informed they would train in hospitality and catering. Instead, they labored assembling thousands of assault drones feeble in Ukraine.
The AP wrote,
“To have faith a labor shortage, the Kremlin recruited ladies folk from countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and others. These young, often inexperienced workers, labored alongside Russian vocational college students at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone.”
Ukraine has centered the Alabuga facility as a consequence of it makes drones. Many young Africans working there were damage because of the harmful conditions.
The drone program also made drones for Iran. These drones had been reportedly feeble to assault Israel and U.S. interests. Since the 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, Russia’s relationship with Israel has turn into nerve-racking, affecting ties between President Vladimir Putin and Israeli High Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Efforts to fetch a comment from Nigerian presidential aide Bayo Onanuga about Nigeria’s space on supporting Russia went unanswered.
