FG Approves N400m To Minimize Hardship Of Students On Foreign Scholarships

The Federal Government has approved N400 million for the
payment of upkeep allowances of Nigerian students on foreign scholarships. The
Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia HIndatu
Abdullahi, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) in Abuja yesterday.

Abdullahi attributed the delay to non-release of capital
allowance and the change in government which delayed the release of capital
allocation for 2015. According to her, the allowance payable to the scholars
outside the country is from January to December and it is calculated and
captured in the budget every year.

She said that the plight of the students was being taken
seriously, adding that “we just have an approval of about N400 million, we are
now working with the Federal Ministry of Finance to obtain it.

“After that, we will head to the Budget Office and the
Central Bank of Nigeria to ensure that the money is remitted as soon as
possible to the missions. In terms of the paper work, we have concluded; we
want to pay something so that their hardship will be minimised, she said.