The Bilateral Education Agreement scholarship program was terminated by the Federal Government on Tuesday, citing it as an unsustainable and ineffective use of public funds.
After months of protests from Nigerian scholars who were stuck overseas and claimed that the government was not fulfilling its financial responsibilities under the program, the decision was made.
The BEA scholarship scheme, which was established through diplomatic agreements with nations including China, Russia, Algeria, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt, and Serbia, has enabled hundreds of Nigerian students to pursue higher education abroad with government funding.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, declared a final end to the scholarship program despite recent Federal Government assurances that all supplemental allowances had been paid through December 2024, with additional funding requested to cover unpaid entitlements impacted by exchange rate fluctuations.
Speaking at a courtesy visit by recently elected National Association of Nigerian Students executives, Alausa stated that in order to reach more students nationwide, the government would reroute BEA funding to domestic scholarship programs.
The minister claimed that local colleges are better equipped to conduct such programs by citing instances of students studying English, psychology, and sociology in nations where those courses are not taught in Nigeria’s official languages.
“In 2024, when I assumed office, I was asked to approve N650m for 60 students going to Morocco under the BEA programme. I refused. It’s not fair to Nigerian students,”
“I reviewed the courses—some students went to Algeria, a French-speaking country, to study English. That is simply illogical. These are courses we teach better in Nigeria,” he said.
Alausa also voiced displeasure with the BEA’s lack of oversight and performance monitoring, pointing out that the government funds scholars’ yearly travel without keeping tabs on their academic achievement.
He emphasized that although existing BEA beneficiaries will receive assistance to finish their programs, new applicants for the scholarship will not be accepted after 2025.
“In 2025 alone, we projected N9bn to fund just 1,200 students abroad. Meanwhile, millions of students in Nigeria get no support. It’s unjust and unsustainable,” the minister stated. “We have evaluated every single course these 1,200 students are studying abroad—every one of them is offered in Nigerian universities.”
“This programme is not the best use of public funds. That money will now be used to fund local scholarships and support more students,” Alausa concluded.
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