NIGERIAN STUDENTS ABROAD LAMENT NON-PAYMENT OF ALLOWANCES BY FG
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Nigerian students studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) have expressed frustration over the federal government’s failure to pay their allowances.
Speaking through the Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars, the students appealed to the Minister of Education, Dr. Yusuf Tunji Alausa, to urgently revisit the government’s policy on stipend payments.
They claimed that each scholar is owed $6,720 for the years 2023 and 2024, along with additional unpaid stipends from January to April 2025.
In a recent statement shared on X, the students accused the Ministry of Education of spreading misleading information regarding their welfare.
They also refuted the ministry’s assertion that all outstanding payments had been cleared, stressing that their host countries were not adequately meeting their needs.
“The assertion that host countries provide full accommodation and monthly stipends is simply false in many countries. In Morocco, for example, there is no government-provided housing. In Algeria, students get only $70 every four months — that’s not a stipend,” the statement read.
However, the government, through the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, has assured the students and other stakeholders of its commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities.
While admitting that the recent fluctuations in the foreign exchange caused the shortfalls in fund disbursements, the ministry said all supplementary allowances for Nigerian scholars have been paid up to December 2024.
The ministry further disclosed that a formal request for additional funding to ensure full payment of all entitlements to affected students has been submitted.
“Provisions for the BEA scholarship programme have been included in the Ministry’s Capital Budget. With the extension of the 2024 Capital Budget, the disbursement of funds under the 2025 Capital Budget is expected to begin once its implementation commences.
“The Ministry assures all stakeholders of its unwavering commitment to supporting Nigerian scholars abroad and is working diligently to meet all obligations under the BEA in a timely and effective manner,” the statement partly read.
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