Esther Salifu
Nigerian scholars studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) are facing severe financial hardships due to prolonged delays and significant reductions in their government-provided stipends.
Many students report going months without payments, leading to situations where they struggle to afford basic necessities, including food and housing.
The Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars (UNBEAS) has highlighted that stipends were last paid for the period of January to August 2023, but even those payments were incomplete due to exchange rate fluctuations. As of now, scholars are owed stipends from September to December 2023 and have experienced a 56% reduction in their allowancesfrom 500 to220 without prior notice .
The situation is particularly dire in countries like Morocco, where there is no government-provided accommodation, forcing students to rely entirely on their stipends for rent. Many have been evicted due to non-payment, and some have reportedly fallen ill from hunger but cannot afford medical care .
In response, the Federal Ministry of Education has acknowledged the delays and attributed them to fluctuations in the foreign exchange market.
The ministry stated that supplementary allowances have been paid up to December 2024 and that a formal request for additional funding has been submitted to ensure full payment of all entitlements to affected students. Provisions for the BEA scholarship programme have been included in the Ministry’s Capital Budget, and disbursement of funds under the 2025 Capital Budget is expected to begin once its implementation commences.
The Ministry of Education has assured students and stakeholders of its commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities, according to Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
“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, he stated
Despite these assurances, students continue to face uncertainty and hardship. UNBEAS has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other government agencies to intervene promptly to resolve the crisis and restore the full stipend amount, emphasizing that the current situation is unsustainable and detrimental to their academic pursuits and well-being
