Official statement from webiste

Intro / Lead Paragraph

Nigeria’s Ministry of Education has confirmed its website was hacked to upload statements endorsing a controversial Russian recruitment scheme known as the Alabuga Start Programme. Officials say the ministry never authorized the posts, which have been online since 2022 and allegedly misled Nigerians into believing the programme was an official scholarship opportunity.

Main Article

The Federal Scholarship Board (FSB), under the Ministry of Education, has denied involvement in the Alabuga Start Programme — a Russian state-backed initiative accused of recruiting young women under false pretences.

Ndajiwo Asta, the director of the FSB, told PREMIUM TIMES that the statements uploaded to the ministry’s website in 2022 and 2023 were placed there by unknown actors. “We didn’t place it. Someone once showed me the letter on the website. Since 2022, why has it not expired? This is the AI age; anybody can just draft a letter and upload it online,” she said.

Despite her comments, the controversial advertisement remained on the ministry’s website as of Monday.

About the Programme

Launched in 2022, the Alabuga Start Programme targets young women aged 18–22 from developing countries. While it claims to offer vocational training, full scholarships, and paid work, investigations by ZAM and PREMIUM TIMES reveal:

• Recruitment based on false information and fake promises.
• Participants sometimes end up manufacturing drones in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone.
• Nigerian applicants recruited through unlicensed agencies operating on Telegram and social media.

Unlicensed Recruiters

Investigations identified Nigerian recruitment agencies — including Mercy of Success Konsultancy and Topklass Erasco Travels and Tours — working with Alabuga despite lacking government licences. This violates Section 25 of the Nigerian Labour Act, which requires Ministry of Labour approval for overseas recruitment.

Ministry, Agencies Under Fire

Education analysts criticised the Ministry for failing to secure its website and remove fraudulent posts.

• NITDA stated the Ministry is legally obligated to take down the post and protect its digital infrastructure.
• Analysts like Oriyomi Ogunwale and Yomi Fawehinmi noted the scandal undermines public trust in official channels and highlights structural neglect of ICT systems.

No Clear Numbers

Neither the Nigerian government nor the Russian embassy could confirm the number of Nigerians enrolled in the program. While Russia offers bilateral education scholarships to Nigerian students, Alabuga Start is not one of the approved schemes.