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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria has begun training 100 experts from key government institutions ahead of an international assessment of its measures to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.
The five-day training programme, facilitated by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), with support from SecFIN Africa, is holding in Abuja from October 12 to 16.
It is designed to prepare participants for a national mock evaluation scheduled for November ahead of Nigeria’s formal third-round mutual evaluation. The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) said the international assessment would examine the country’s compliance with global standards and determine whether its laws, policies and institutions were delivering measurable results in the fight against financial crimes.
Speaking at the opening of the programme, NFIU Chief Executive Officer, Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, said Nigeria must demonstrate the practical impact of its reforms rather than merely present evidence of laws, regulations and institutional arrangements.
“Nigeria must be ready to not only explain its laws, policies and institutional arrangements, but also to demonstrate the results they deliver,” she said.
Bakari said the programme built on Nigeria’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List in October 2025 and formed part of broader efforts to strengthen the integrity of the country’s financial system.
Representing the GIABA Director-General, the organisation’s Director of Evaluations and Compliance, Giwa Siman Sechap, said the assessment required coordinated action among government institutions and credible evidence that the country’s systems were effective.
“Mutual evaluation is a collective national responsibility. Beyond technical compliance, countries must demonstrate that their systems are delivering results,” he said.
Sechap said the training would strengthen inter-agency coordination and equip participants with the knowledge and skills to present verifiable evidence of Nigeria’s implementation of international standards.
Also speaking, SecFIN Africa’s Country Representative, Shehu Abdullahi, said effective preparation for the assessment depended on institutions sharing reliable information and taking collective responsibility for national priorities.
He said the programme would help Nigeria identify outstanding gaps, consolidate existing gains and demonstrate the effectiveness of its financial integrity framework.
Participants were drawn from government agencies responsible for financial intelligence, regulation, law enforcement, prosecution, asset recovery, border control, revenue administration and national security.
They include the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Revenue Service.
Other participating institutions are the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), NFIU, Federal Ministry of Justice, Bureau of Public Procurement, Corporate Affairs Commission and Code of Conduct Bureau.
The Defence Intelligence Agency, National Counter Terrorism Centre, National Insurance Commission and Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering are also taking part in the exercise.
The training covers critical areas, including financial intelligence, regulatory supervision, virtual assets, beneficial ownership transparency, investigations and prosecutions, asset confiscation, international cooperation, targeted financial sanctions and proliferation financing risks.
Participants will also undertake practical exercises and simulated assessment interviews to prepare them to respond to evaluators with accurate information and verifiable evidence.
The programme follows a national stocktake and gap analysis coordinated by the NFIU through the Inter-Ministerial Committee, with support from the EFCC, DSS, ICPC, CBN, National Insurance Commission and SEC.
The exercise reviewed the implementation of Nigeria’s financial crime prevention framework, identified outstanding deficiencies and established priorities for corrective action ahead of the international assessment.
Bakari said the ultimate objective was to translate cooperation among government institutions into measurable improvements in detecting and disrupting financial crimes.
“The real value of this exercise lies in the improvements it helps us deliver,” she said.
According to the NFIU, Nigeria has increased its pool of experts accredited in FATF standards from fewer than 10 to 25 over the past two years.
The current programme is part of a broader capacity-building plan to train additional groups of 100 to 150 participants quarterly, with possible expansion to private-sector institutions.
The national mock evaluation scheduled for November is expected to test Nigeria’s preparedness, identify remaining deficiencies and guide corrective measures ahead of the formal international assessment.
