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The federal government has dismissed reports suggesting that Nigerian students studying in Morocco under its scholarship scheme have been abandoned, describing the claims as false and unfounded.
The government also denied awarding any new bilateral scholarships in 2025, insisting that documents circulating to support such claims are ‘fake, unauthenticated, and constitute a calculated attempt to mislead the public and discredit government policy.’
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The clarification was made in a statement issued on Wednesday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Folashade Boriowo.
Payments made up to 2024
Quoting the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the statement explained that all Nigerian students enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship (BES) programme before 2024 had received payments up to the 2024 budget year.
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Mr Alausa said no beneficiary on a valid federal government scholarship has been abandoned, while also refuting claims that new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time after.
“Any temporary delays in outstanding payments are attributable to fiscal constraints and are currently being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.”
Reasons for ending overseas scholarships
Mr Alausa explained that the decision to discontinue government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad followed a comprehensive policy review.
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The review, he said, showed that Nigeria now has adequate capacity within its universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to offer the affected programmes locally.
“Consequently, only scholarships that are fully funded by foreign governments are now being supported, with all financial obligations borne entirely by the host countries,” he said.
Support for existing students continues
Despite the policy shift, the minister said the federal government would continue to support students already enrolled under previous arrangements until the completion of their programmes.
He added that students who may prefer to discontinue their studies abroad may formally write to the Department of Scholarship Awards.
Such students, he said, are being offered the option of returning to Nigeria, where they will be seamlessly reintegrated into appropriate tertiary institutions of their choice.
“The federal government will also cover their return travel costs to ensure a smooth and orderly transition,” he added.
Tackling abuse in scholarship system
According to Mr Alausa, the reforms were part of the current administration’s efforts to eliminate inefficiencies and abuses within the scholarship system.
He noted that past practices of sponsoring overseas training for courses already well-established in Nigeria had placed avoidable financial burdens on the country.
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The federal government, he added, remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the prudent management of public resources, while warning against misinformation, blackmail and attempts to undermine policies designed to strengthen national capacity and safeguard the integrity of the education sector.
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