The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education has approved a scholarship programme that sends secondary school graduates to Russia’s Alabuga Polytechnic College—located within a special economic zone known for manufacturing Iranian-designed suicide drones.
A 2023 advertisement from the ministry, obtained by Peoples Gazette, invited applications from Nigerian high school leavers aged 18–22 for a vocational training project tagged Alabuga Start, scheduled for the 2023/2024 academic session.
“This is to inform all qualified Nigerian candidates… that the Special Economic Zone of Alabuga… offers admission and vocational training project ‘Alabuga Start’ in Alabuga Polytech College,” the statement read. Listed areas of training include industrial robotics, microelectronics, industrial automation, and chemistry.
Alabuga, located in the Republic of Tatarstan, has been linked to drone production facilities used by the Russian military in its ongoing war in Ukraine. The facilities reportedly began assembling Iranian-designed drones shortly after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
A 2025 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime disclosed that over 300 young women—mostly from Africa and Latin America—were recruited under similar vocational training arrangements and ended up working in drone factories in Alabuga. The report raised concerns about the actual nature of the work involved.
Further investigations by the Associated Press revealed that some of these women, initially recruited for hospitality and catering roles, were instead deployed to assemble combat drones. The AP described the initiative as part of Russia’s effort to address a labour shortage by recruiting young women from countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka.
The report noted that inexperienced recruits, including African women and Russian students as young as 16, have been engaged in producing weapons used in Ukraine. Ukrainian strikes have reportedly targeted the area, injuring some of the foreign workers.
The scholarship programme’s link to drone manufacturing has raised diplomatic and ethical concerns, especially amid ongoing global tensions. Russia’s drone exports have also reportedly supported operations in the Middle East, including attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests.
As of the time of filing this report, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga had not responded to requests for comments on Nigeria’s position in relation to Russia’s military-industrial activities or whether the programme marks a shift in Nigeria’s traditionally non-aligned foreign policy.
Nzubechukwu Eze
