The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has declared that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is transforming proceeds of crime into investments that improve student welfare, strengthen learning infrastructure and expand access to quality education across Nigeria.

Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja during the formal handover of recovered assets by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the Federal Ministry of Education, Alausa said the Federal Government’s asset recovery programme demonstrates President Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring that resources recovered from criminal activities are redirected to projects that directly benefit Nigerians, particularly children and young people.

The assets handed over to the ministry comprise 501 double-decker bed frames, 939 mattresses and 12 wooden beds with mattresses, recovered by the EFCC during a major anti-cybercrime operation.

According to the minister, education remains at the heart of the Tinubu administration’s development agenda, with recovered public assets now being deliberately channelled into initiatives that improve learning outcomes and provide better opportunities for students across the country.

“This initiative reflects Mr. President’s resolve to ensure that proceeds of crime are converted into opportunities that uplift lives and build a stronger future for Nigerian children,” Alausa said.

He noted that the President’s vision of building a one-trillion-dollar economy is anchored on sustained investment in human capital, stressing that improving access to quality education is essential to achieving that objective.

Alausa described the education sector as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s asset recovery efforts, recalling that President Tinubu had earlier approved the conversion of a forfeited university facility into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, rather than allowing the property to be sold.

He disclosed that the institution has already admitted more than 3,000 students into programmes in applied sciences, engineering, nursing, health sciences and other critical disciplines, creating new opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire skills needed for national development.

The minister added that the newly recovered furniture and bedding materials would significantly improve accommodation and welfare in Federal Unity Colleges and other educational institutions across the country.

He also commended EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, for strengthening public confidence in the anti-graft agency through professionalism, adherence to the rule of law and sustained efforts in combating corruption, procurement fraud and cybercrime.

Earlier, Olukoyede revealed that the assets were recovered during Operation Eagle Flush, one of the Commission’s largest cybercrime crackdowns conducted towards the end of 2024.

According to him, the operation led to the arrest of about 792 suspects, including foreign nationals, who were investigated, prosecuted, convicted and subsequently repatriated after serving their prison terms.

He explained that the handover was in line with the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that recovered assets are transparently deployed for national development.

Olukoyede said children and young people are among the greatest victims of corruption and financial crimes, making it appropriate that they become the primary beneficiaries of assets recovered from criminal enterprises.

He highlighted previous interventions by the Commission in the education sector, including the transfer of the forfeited university facility that now houses the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, as well as the deployment of recovered proceeds of crime as part of the seed funding for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

According to the EFCC chairman, about 1.4 million students have so far benefited from the student loan scheme through tuition payments and monthly upkeep allowances, helping to reduce the financial pressures that often expose vulnerable youths to cybercrime and other criminal activities.

The restitution process was concluded with the signing of a Deed of Release by officials of the EFCC and the Federal Ministry of Education, including the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan.

Alausa assured Nigerians that the recovered assets would be distributed transparently and equitably to Federal Unity Colleges nationwide, where they would improve student welfare, enhance hostel accommodation, strengthen learning infrastructure and further advance the Federal Government’s commitment to providing accessible, inclusive and quality education for every Nigerian child.