Nigerian scholars abroad, parents protest non-payment of stipends
Nigerian students who are studying overseas under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Education Agreement, along with their parents, plan to hold a protest today (Monday) due to the non-payment of scholarship stipends, which the students claim has caused significant hardship.
As reported by The PUNCH, the protest, as outlined in a notice from the Forum of BEA Scholars, is scheduled to occur at the Ministry of Finance in the Central District of Abuja, beginning at 10 am.
The parents of these students have confirmed they will participate in the protest, expressing that they can no longer handle the financial and emotional burdens of supporting their children who are in distress abroad.
In their notice, the Forum of BEA Scholars indicated that they are supposed to receive monthly stipends of $500; however, they have not received any payments this year, resulting in a total of 11 months of unpaid stipends.
Additionally, they reported that the Federal Government has drastically reduced their stipends for 2024 by 56 percent, providing only $220 instead of the approved $500, and are still owed payments for September, October, November, and December 2023.
Numerous affected students, studying in countries like Hungary, Morocco, China, Russia, and Serbia, said they are struggling to meet basic needs such as food, housing, medical care, and transportation due to the ongoing payment delays.
The Forum of BEA Scholars revealed that many students have had to take up informal employment, which violates their scholarship terms, while others have had to rely completely on charitable assistance.
The group sorrowfully connected the recent death of a Nigerian student in Morocco to the extreme hardship stemming from unpaid allowances, cautioning that more students could be at risk if the government continued to postpone payments.
The Nigerianwatch had earlier reported in April 2025 that the Federal Government officially declared the cancellation of the Bilateral Education Agreement scholarship programme, labeling it as an unsustainable and ineffective use of public resources.
This termination followed numerous complaints from stranded Nigerian students abroad, who accused the government of consistently failing to fulfill its financial responsibilities under the program.
The BEA initiative, which was established through diplomatic agreements with partner nations like China, Russia, Algeria, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt, and Serbia, has historically allowed hundreds of Nigerian students to obtain higher education abroad with government funding.
Despite previous assurances from the Federal Government that all supplementary allowances had been paid up until December 2024—with additional funds requested to address outstanding payments impacted by currency fluctuations—the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the formal conclusion of the programme.
During a visit by the newly elected leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Dr. Alausa remarked that the government would reallocate BEA funding to support domestic scholarship programs so that a larger number of students nationwide could benefit.
Referencing a specific case, Alausa mentioned, “In 2024, when I took office, I was asked to approve N650m for 60 students going to Morocco under the BEA programme. I declined. It’s not fair to Nigerian students.”
Alausa also expressed considerable frustration with the lack of adequate oversight and performance evaluation in the BEA scheme, highlighting the government's funding of annual travel for scholars without any tracking of their academic achievements.
The Minister stated, “In 2025 alone, we allocated N9bn to support just 1,200 students abroad. Meanwhile, millions of students in Nigeria receive no financial assistance. It’s unfair and not sustainable.” He also made a key observation: “We have reviewed every single course that these 1,200 students are pursuing abroad—each one is available in Nigerian universities.”
He stated that although all existing BEA beneficiaries will receive financial support to complete their current programs, no new admissions will be accepted beyond 2025. Alausa wrapped up his remarks on the program by saying, “This program is not the most effective use of public funds. Those funds will now be redirected to finance local scholarships and assist a greater number of students.”
By May 2025, Alausa expressed concern over a significant problem, pointing out that 85 percent of Nigerian students who were sent abroad on government scholarships failed to return and contribute to the country's development.
This announcement came alongside the Minister's decision that tertiary institutions with enrolments below 2,000 will no longer qualify for funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
In terms of foreign scholarships, Alausa indicated a substantial policy change, stating that more resources would be strategically allocated to enhance local educational infrastructure.
Following the Federal Government's choice to stop funding foreign scholarships, many beneficiaries of the BEA scholarship program have found themselves abandoned in foreign countries.
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