Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Federal Government of Nigeria has welcomed the decision of the European Commission to remove Nigeria from the European Union’s list of high-risk third countries for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism, AML/CFT.
The decision, contained in the European Commission Delegated Regulation released this week amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675, follows Nigeria’s earlier removal from the Financial Action Task Force, FATF, list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring in October 2025, after the successful completion of its FATF Action Plan.
According to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, this important milestone was only possible due to the extraordinary leadership, unwavering political will, and clear reform vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under whose administration AML/CFT reforms were prioritized as a core component of Nigeria’s economic governance and financial system stability agenda.
President Tinubu’s decisive leadership ensured strong inter-agency coordination, sustained engagement with international partners, and the full implementation of critical legal, regulatory, and institutional reforms required to address the strategic deficiencies previously identified in Nigeria’s AML/CFT framework.
The European Commission, in its assessment, concluded that Nigeria has significantly strengthened the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and satisfactorily addressed the technical and strategic deficiencies highlighted by the FATF. As a result, Nigeria has been removed from the EU list of high-risk third countries, alongside other jurisdictions that have demonstrated similar progress.
This development represents another major boost to Nigeria’s global financial credibility. It is expected to ease enhanced due diligence requirements for Nigerian individuals, businesses, and financial institutions transacting with European counterparts, improve correspondent banking relationships, enhance investor confidence, and further integrate Nigeria into the international financial system.
The Minister commended the collective efforts of all stakeholders involved in this achievement, including financial sector regulators, law enforcement agencies, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, supervisory authorities, the judiciary, and private sector operators, whose professionalism and commitment were instrumental to the successful reform outcomes.
While welcoming this decision, Mr. Edun reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to sustaining and deepening AML/CFT reforms. Nigeria will continue to work closely with the FATF, the European Union, and other international partners to ensure that its financial system remains resilient, transparent, and aligned with global best practices.
Reacting to the development, Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Anite-Uzoka stated: “This achievement reflects our government’s commitment to improving financial systems and fighting financial crimes. Huge congratulations to President Bola Tinubu on this win. As Minister of State for Finance, I’m confident this will ease trade, lower costs, and attract investments.”
The removal of Nigeria from both the FATF grey list and the European Union’s high-risk list sends a clear and positive signal to the global community that Nigeria is firmly on the path of reform, transparency, and economic renewal under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
