The Federal Government has dismissed claims that Nigerian scholarship students in Morocco have been abandoned, describing the reports as misleading and “deliberately crafted to misinform the public.”
The clarification comes after a video circulated on social media showing Nigerian students under the Federal Government scholarship scheme in Morocco allegedly facing hardships, including homelessness and lack of medical support.
The video featured activist VeryDarkMan, speaking with several students who claimed they had not received financial support for years despite being scholarship recipients.
In a statement signed by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said:
“The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has clarified that no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been abandoned. All beneficiaries duly enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship (BES) Programme prior to 2024 have received payments up to the 2024 budget year, in line with the Federal Government’s obligations. 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.”
The statement added: “The Honourable Minister further stated that no new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter. Documents being circulated to suggest otherwise are fake, unauthenticated, and constitute a calculated attempt to mislead the public and discredit government policy.”
Dr Alausa explained the rationale behind the policy change: “The decision to discontinue government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad followed a comprehensive policy review, which established that Nigeria now possesses sufficient capacity within its universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to deliver 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.”
The statement reassured students of continued support, saying: “Notwithstanding this policy shift, the Federal Government remains fully committed to students already enrolled under the previous arrangements and will continue to support them until the completion of their programmes. In addition, students who may prefer to discontinue their studies abroad may formally write to the Director, Department of Scholarship Awards. Such students 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.”
Dr Alausa concluded by highlighting the administration’s commitment to reforming the scholarship system: “The current administration remains committed to eliminating inefficiencies and abuses within the scholarship system, stressing that past practices that sponsored overseas training for courses already well established in Nigeria placed avoidable financial burdens on the nation.”
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