Breaking: Government Releases N4bn for Stranded Scholars Abroad

The Federal Government has approved the release of N4bn for the payment of outstanding allowances to Nigerian students studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship scheme.

The development comes amid widespread complaints from beneficiaries who alleged prolonged non-payment of stipends had subjected many of them to severe hardship, with some claiming they were forced into menial jobs and other extreme measures to survive.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed that the Ministry of Finance had released the first tranche of the approved funds, representing half of the N8bn budgeted for the programme in the current fiscal year.

“The Federal Ministry of Finance has approved N4bn to pay the first tranche, and I am working with the Minister of Finance to settle the remaining N4bn. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, they will receive all their allowances for 2025 and 2026,” Alausa said.

He expressed sympathy with the affected students, assuring that the government remained committed to fully funding existing beneficiaries until they complete their studies. According to him, discussions are ongoing to ensure that all outstanding payments are cleared within weeks.

“The total budget for this year was N8bn to fund the remaining students currently in training. Our commitment is that existing students will be fully funded. In recent years, however, funding this scholarship has been challenging,” he added.

The minister noted that while the government is reviewing resource allocation within the education sector, the scholarship remains an obligation under existing agreements. He also reiterated that the administration would continue to support current beneficiaries despite earlier policy adjustments to the programme.

The approval follows a viral video in which Nigerian students in countries including Russia, Serbia, and Venezuela appealed for urgent intervention, alleging that stipend delays—reportedly spanning over a year—had left many struggling to survive. Some students claimed the financial strain had forced them into informal work, while others described extremely difficult living conditions.

The BEA programme, established through international partnerships, has enabled Nigerian students to study in countries such as China, Russia, Hungary, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and Serbia. However, concerns over sustainability, funding efficiency, and resource allocation had previously led the government to scale back aspects of the scheme.

Despite government assurances that current beneficiaries would continue receiving support, several students maintain that unpaid stipends have accumulated for months, worsening their economic hardship amid rising living costs and currency challenges in host countries.

Student representatives abroad have urged swift implementation of the approved funds to prevent further disruption to their academic progress, while expressing hope that the intervention will restore stability to the programme.

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