Olukoyede Brought Highest Level of Standards To EFCC, Says Minister Alausa

Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has commended the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, for raising the Commission’s standards to its highest level.
Eereporter.com

Alausa spoke on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja, where a ministry delegation received beds and mattresses recovered from a cybercrime bust and forfeited to the Federal Government. “Chairman, I commend you for bringing the highest level of standards to the EFCC,” Alausa said.

The items, comprising 501 double-step bunks, 939 mattresses and 12 wooden beds with mattresses, were recovered during a special operation code-named Operation Eagle Flush.

Olukoyede said the handover gesture reflected commitment to ensuring proceeds of crime benefit Nigerian children and youth. He said 792 suspects, including 193 foreign nationals, were arrested and investigated in connection with the operation. According to him, the suspects were subsequently convicted and, in the case of the foreign nationals, deported to their countries of origin.

The minister praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s judgment in appointing Olukoyede to lead the Commission three years ago. He said the President has long demonstrated an unmatched ability to identify the right people for the right assignments.

“President Bola Tinubu said one thing. He said he will never give somebody an assignment he does not know they can handle. Today, Mr President is the best talent hunter in this country, and presumably in the world.”

“When he brought Mr Ola Olukoyede to the EFCC, the President knew what he was doing,” Alausa said. “Today, three years later, we have the cleanest EFCC in the history of this country.”

Alausa said the Commission under Olukoyede has never been deployed to victimise or harass innocent citizens. He said it has instead operated strictly within the confines of the rule of law.

“And it’s not an EFCC the President will use to victimise and harass innocent citizens,” Alausa said. “We have never seen that in the last three years. We have an EFCC that is operating within the confines of the rule of law.”

Commenting on the EFCC’s boss performance, he noted that Olukoyede has taken the Commission beyond a reactive posture on corruption to one that proactively identifies where the country’s heaviest corruption burdens lie. He said procurement accounts for the biggest share of corruption within the government.

“Beyond trying to be proactive in fighting corruption, beyond identifying where we have the most burden of corruption, the biggest part of corruption in our government has to do with procurement. He has worked assiduously to really help reduce that in a proactive manner, not a reactive manner. That’s what leadership is all about”, the minister said.

He further explained that the beds and mattresses would be deployed to unity colleges across the country. He said the education sector has been among the biggest beneficiaries of the Commission’s asset recovery efforts under Olukoyede’s leadership.

Speaking further on the rationale of the handover of the items, the EFCC’s Chair disclosed that the decision to hand over the facilities to the Ministry of Education aligns with the Federal Government’s determination to improve the quality of education in Nigeria. “The decision to hand over these facilities to the Federal Ministry of Education is in line with the Federal Government’s determination to improve the quality of education in Nigeria.”

According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the gesture fully aware that children and youths are the greatest victims of corruption.

“Children and the youth are the greatest victims of corruption and should naturally be the first beneficiaries of the proceeds of such a crime,” Olukoyede said.

The EFCC boss said the handover, done in line with the Proceeds of Crime Act and with Federal Government approval, continues the Commission’s support for the education sector. He cited N50 billion in recovered funds already channelled to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, and the conversion of Nok University to a Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.

Olukoyede, Minister Alausa

He said such gestures widen the window of opportunity for education and social progression for Nigerian youths. Olukoyede added that the Commission would continue to recover proceeds of crime and ensure such recoveries are judiciously, transparently and effectively deployed for the benefit of all Nigerians.

“In line with the Provisions of the Proceeds of Crimes Act and the approval of the Federal Government, this gesture is a continuation of support to the educational sector, including N50bn of recovered funds to the Students Loan Scheme and conversion of Nok University to a Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State,” he said.
Eereporter.com

Government Bans Traffic Task Force On Highways Over Extortion, Harassment In Enugu

The Enugu State Ministry of Transport has banned all traffic task force operations on federal highways within the state, effective immediately.
Eereporter.com

The directive was announced in a statement on Monday by the commander of the Enugu State Traffic Management Authority (ESTMA), Kenneth Ugwu.

Mr Ugwu said that the ban was part of the government’s efforts to curb the activities of fake enforcement officials who extort funds from motorists.

According to him, the ministry took the decision after reports that impostors posing as transport ministry officials had been operating on federal highways, harassing and extorting motorists.

“Their action tarnishes the image of the ministry, and to address the situation, the ministry has constituted a special team to identify and apprehend those behind the illegal operations,” Mr Ugwu said.

Mr Ugwu confirmed that authorities recently arrested some suspected fake task force operatives while allegedly extorting motorists in different parts of the state capital.

He added that the suspects were currently undergoing interrogation and will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Governor Mbah

The ministry, therefore, urged the public and motorists to promptly report any genuine complaint or encounter with suspected fake task force officials to the ESTMA commander’s office at 08102382688 for immediate intervention.

He warned that anyone found harassing or extorting motorists under the guise of traffic enforcement would be arrested and prosecuted.
Eereporter.com

How Four Universities, Students Win N235m Engineering Innovation Funding

Student teams from the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola; the University of Ibadan; the University of Jos; and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka have emerged winners of the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad for developing outstanding engineering innovations.
Eereporter.com

At the grand finale held recently in Lagos, the teams won a total of N110m in seed funding to accelerate the commercialisation of their innovations.

MAUT emerged overall winner, receiving a N50m grant, while UI received N30m for placing second.

The University of Jos received N20m for its third-place position, while UNN received N10m for finishing fourth.

MAUT emerged overall winner with “Ubuntu Sapphire”, a decentralised, community-powered rapid alert and security intelligence network built for the security realities of rural and peri-urban Nigeria, where connectivity is poor, security architecture is thin, and millions of households still depend on feature phones.

The University of Ibadan claimed second place with its “Aurora Birth” innovation, a HealthTech solution designed to reduce neonatal deaths from birth asphyxia, especially in low-resource settings.

The University of Jos secured third place with “Sentra,” a solar-powered, AI-enabled crop diagnostic device that detects pests, diseases and soil nutrient deficiencies before visible symptoms appear, giving smallholder farmers the early warning they need to act promptly.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka finished fourth with “Flameless”, a containerised, modular power-generation platform that captures associated gas and converts it into electricity, providing reliable and affordable power for households, communities and businesses.

The winning projects distinguished themselves by offering practical, scalable and commercially viable solutions to critical national challenges in security, healthcare, agriculture and energy.

The winners emerged from a national contest that attracted 375 successful team applicants from 984 student participants across 80 tertiary institutions.

Thirty teams qualified for the regional stage of the competition, which commenced in November 2025, with projects assessed on technical excellence, innovation, scalability, commercial viability, societal impact and sustainability.

Aside from the cash prizes, the winning teams will also receive continued technical mentorship, business development support, industry partnerships and commercialisation opportunities.

Also, the engineering faculties of the winning universities were rewarded.

MAUT won a Centre of Excellence building, while UI and UNN received grants of N75m and N50m respectively to strengthen engineering education and research.

Speaking, Margaret Oguntola, immediate past President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, described the initiative as a step towards repositioning young engineers as drivers of sustainable national development.

She said the NSE was concerned about how to bridge the gap between abundant talent in tertiary institutions and Nigeria’s technological advancement and industrialisation aspirations, which the NEO is designed to address.

He observed that sectors such as music and reality television have flourished partly because of healthy competition and public recognition, adding that the Olympiad seeks to create similar competitiveness within engineering education while celebrating the ingenuity of students and their lecturers.

In his welcome remarks, Mr Michael Ajayi, Country Director of Enactus Nigeria, NEO implementing partner, said investing in youth-driven innovation is essential to Nigeria’s future, noting that the competition aligns with the organisation’s mission of promoting youth leadership and enterprise development.

According to him, it is expedient that the country intentionally harnesses its creativity, technical expertise and entrepreneurial capacity to solve real-world problems, build sustainable businesses and create jobs.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NEO initiator, Felix Ogbe, said the organisation would continue to support the initiative in identifying and developing undergraduate and postgraduate engineering talent.

Ogbe, who was represented by Mr Silas Ajimijaye, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, commended the programme’s partners and challenged them to ensure that the winning innovations progress beyond the competition to reach the market and improve lives.

The representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, one of the funding partners, Dr Igo Weli, Vice President (Relations and Sustainable Development), expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the maiden NEO, promising that prototype development grants for participating teams would increase from N3m to N5m in the next edition.

Another funding partner, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P), represented by John Alamu, General Manager, Engineering & Capital Projects, described the Olympiad as an important platform for strengthening STEM education and reducing the growing challenge of brain drain.

“We must build mechanisms that not only recognise excellence in problem-solving and technical capacity but also encourage solutions tailored to Nigeria’s energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and sustainability needs,” he said.

The Special Guest of Honour, Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Mr Khalil Halilu, represented by Emmanuel Ajani, congratulated the young innovators and commended the organisers for the initiative, describing it as a veritable platform for identifying exceptional engineering talents within Nigerian universities capable of driving industrial transformation.

The maiden NEO competition showcased innovations spanning healthcare, renewable energy, agriculture, security, infrastructure, manufacturing and industrial technology, highlighting the ingenuity of young Nigerian engineers in addressing pressing national and global challenges.

Engineering Innovation Funding

The Olympiad began with regional competitions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones—Yenagoa, Enugu, Ibadan, Abuja, Yola and Kano—where 30 shortlisted teams competed.

Twelve teams advanced to the national stage and participated in an intensive innovation bootcamp in Lagos, from which four finalists emerged.

During the bootcamp, participants received mentorship from engineering professionals, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and innovation experts before competing in semi-final knockout rounds that produced the eventual winners.
Eereporter.com