By Francis Wilfred
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen inter-agency collaboration aimed at strengthening investigations, asset tracking, and fraud risk management in Nigeria.The agreement was formalised at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, where the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, described the MoU as a significant step toward enhancing synergy among government agencies to improve service delivery and mandate execution.Olukoyede said the EFCC–NASRDA MoU demonstrates the power of collaboration in governance, noting that effective partnerships make it easier for institutions to achieve their statutory responsibilities. He explained that the agreement clearly outlines the roles and obligations of both agencies to ensure seamless cooperation.
According to him, a joint monitoring and implementation team will be established to oversee the operationalisation of the MoU and periodically assess its effectiveness. He added that the EFCC would constitute a dedicated team to ensure the collaboration delivers measurable outcomes.“The success of this partnership will encourage other ministries, departments, and agencies to embrace collaboration in the national interest,” Olukoyede said. “Working together is critical if we are to take the country to the next level.”
Highlighting the technical scope of the partnership, Olukoyede disclosed that NASRDA would provide advanced space-based and geospatial technologies to enhance the EFCC’s investigative capacity, particularly in asset tracing, surveillance, and monitoring. In return, the EFCC will offer expertise in ffraud risk assessment to support NASRDA’s regulatory functions.“
We will support NASRDA in fraud risk assessment, while they will support us with technology that allows us to see beyond physical limitations,” he said. “This is particularly important in areas such as **illegal mining investigations, where satellite and geospatial tools can help identify hard-to-reach locations.” The EFCC chairman noted that asset recovery remains a core mandate of the commission, with forfeited assets spread across different parts of the country. He said the MoU would allow the EFCC to deploy geospatial technology and asset-tagging devices to monitor both movable and immovable assets under interim or final forfeiture, ensuring transparency and accountability.
In his remarks, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NASRDA, Dr. Matthew Adepoju, welcomed the collaboration, describing the MoU as a landmark initiative in the pursuit of justice and regulatory compliance within Nigeria’s space ecosystem.
Adepoju warned that satellite and space-based assets are sometimes misused to fuel insecurity, including illegal mining and other economic crimes. He stressed that proper regulation of upstream, midstream, and downstream space activities is essential to national security and economic stability.“ Research has shown that illegal mining is one of the drivers of insecurity in Nigeria,” he said. “Some satellite-mapped resources are being exploited to supply information to criminal elements. This collaboration with the EFCC is therefore timely and necessary.”
He added that NASRDA had identified key areas of cooperation under the MoU, including asset management, geotagging, and tracking, and pledged that the agency would fully deploy its space regulation and spectrum management mandate to support the partnership.Adepoju also commended the EFCC leadership for its efficiency and results, expressing confidence that the EFCC–NASRDA collaboration would set a benchmark for effective inter-agency cooperation in Nigeria.
