The Alleged Truth of Nigerian Graduates in Russia’s Drone Program

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has allegedly approved a secret scholarship program. This program sends Nigerian high school graduates to vocational training in Russia. The training is connected to factories that make suicide drones, People Gazette reports.

In 2023, the Federal Ministry of Education released an ad inviting Nigerian graduates to join a training project at Alabuga Polytechnic College in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan.

The ad said:
“This is to inform all qualified Nigerian candidates aged 18-22, holding O’Level certificates, that the Special Economic Zone of Alabuga offers admission and vocational training ‘Alabuga Start’ for the 2023/2024 Academic Session.”

The training includes industrial robotics, microelectronics, industrial automation, BIM design, and chemistry.

Alabuga is Russia’s largest industrial special economic zone. It is known for factories that produce Iranian-designed suicide drones for the Russian military. These factories started producing drones soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

A 2025 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crimes showed that over 300 women, mostly from Africa and Latin America, were recruited. They joined under the promise of a “work-study program” but ended up working in drone factories.

According to The Associated Press, some African women were told they would train in hospitality and catering. Instead, they worked assembling thousands of attack drones used in Ukraine.

The AP wrote,
“To fill a labor shortage, the Kremlin recruited women from countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and others. These young, often inexperienced workers, worked alongside Russian vocational students at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone.”

Ukraine has targeted the Alabuga facility because it makes drones. Many young Africans working there have been hurt due to the dangerous conditions.

The drone program also made drones for Iran. These drones were reportedly used to attack Israel and U.S. interests. Since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Russia’s relationship with Israel has become tense, affecting ties between President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Efforts to get a comment from Nigerian presidential aide Bayo Onanuga about Nigeria’s position on supporting Russia went unanswered.