The Federal Government has announced plans to settle ₦8 billion owed to Nigerian students under the suspended Bilateral Education Agreement scholarship programme.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed during an interview that ₦4 billion has already been released, while another ₦4 billion is expected to be approved within two weeks.
According to the minister, the scholarship scheme had been heavily abused and no longer served its original purpose. He revealed that one of the cases that raised concerns involved a request for ₦650 million to sponsor 60 students to Morocco, including a student scheduled to study English in the French-speaking country.
Alausa explained that the programme was originally designed to help Nigerian students study specialised courses such as engineering, medicine and aeronautics abroad through agreements with countries including China, Russia, Algeria, Hungary, Egypt and Serbia.
He also alleged that some beneficiaries were simultaneously studying in Nigerian universities while still collecting scholarship funds from the programme.
The BEA scholarship scheme was officially scrapped in 2025 after complaints from students abroad over unpaid stipends and tuition fees. Some students reportedly faced eviction from hostels and were denied access to university services due to unpaid bills.
Despite the cancellation, the Federal Government says all outstanding obligations to affected students will be paid.
