RismadarVoice Reporters
January 15, 2026
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen inter-agency collaboration, enhance operational effectiveness.
The MoU was signed on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, described the agreement as a testament to the power of collaboration among government agencies, noting that such partnerships make the achievement of institutional mandates more effective.
He explained that the MoU clearly outlines the responsibilities and duties of both agencies and disclosed that a special monitoring and implementation team would be established to ensure effective execution.
According to Olukoyede, the EFCC will constitute a team to monitor the operationalisation of the MoU and periodically assess its effectiveness.
He added that the success of the partnership could serve as a model for other ministries, departments and agencies to embrace collaboration in pursuit of national development.
On the areas of cooperation, the EFCC chairman said NASRDA would provide advanced technology to support the Commission’s investigative capacity and asset tracking, while the EFCC would deploy expertise to strengthen the agency’s fraud risk assessment framework.
“We will support you in the area of fraud risk assessment, and you will support us in enhancing our investigative capacity. With your technology, where our eyes cannot reach, we will be able to get there,” Olukoyede said.
He noted that the collaboration would significantly enhance EFCC’s efforts in investigating and prosecuting illegal mining activities, adding that geospatial technology would enable the Commission to identify and monitor affected locations.
Olukoyede further expressed optimism that the partnership would strengthen transparency and accountability in EFCC’s asset management.
He explained that recovered assets, some under interim forfeiture, others under final forfeiture, are scattered across the country, making physical monitoring difficult.
“With your support, we will be able to deploy geospatial technology and asset tagging devices to monitor these assets effectively,” he added.
In his remarks, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NASRDA, Dr. Matthew Adepoju, described the MoU as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice and regulatory compliance within Nigeria’s space ecosystem.
He noted that globally, space-related activities are strictly regulated and stressed the need to ensure that satellite assets operating in Nigeria comply with the country’s laws.
“We know for a fact that some satellite assets are being used negatively to drive insecurity in the country,” Adepoju said.
He further disclosed that research had shown that illegal mining activities, often supported by satellite-generated information, are among the drivers of insecurity in Nigeria. He emphasised the need to regulate all operators across the upstream, mainstream and downstream segments of the space sector.
According to him, there is no better partner for this task than the EFCC.
Adepoju commended the EFCC leadership for its efficiency and tangible results, assuring that NASRDA would leverage its mandate in space regulation and spectrum management to ensure the success of the MoU.
“We have identified key areas of collaboration with the EFCC, including asset management, asset tracking, and the geo-tagging of both movable and immovable assets,” he said.
