The Federal Government has released reports alleging that Nigerian scholarship recipients have been abandoned in the Kingdom of Morocco, describing the claims as false and misleading.
The Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa said no Nigerian student with a valid scholarship from the Federal Government was left without support. He made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday through the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Boriowo Folasade.
According to the minister, all participants who registered in the bilateral scholarship program before 2024 received payments until fiscal year 2024, in line with the government’s commitments.
He explained that any delays in clearing outstanding debts were due to current budgetary constraints, adding that discussions were underway between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance to resolve the issue.
Dr. Alausa also rejected claims that new bilateral grants were awarded in October 2025 or later, calling the documents released to support these claims as fake and unauthenticated.
“No new bilateral grants were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter,” he said, stressing that the documents in circulation were intended to misinform the public and discredit government policies.
The minister explained that the decision to discontinue government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad was due to a policy review which showed that Nigeria now had sufficient capacity to implement the relevant programs locally.
He said universities, colleges and higher education institutions in the country were now well equipped to run such courses, adding that only scholarships fully funded by foreign governments would continue, with host countries having to assume all financial obligations.
Despite the policy change, Dr. Alausa told students already enrolled under previous agreements that they would continue to receive support until the end of their program.
He added that students who wish to interrupt their studies abroad could easily return to Nigeria, noting that such students would be readmitted to suitable universities upon request and the Federal Government would cover their return travel expenses.
The minister said the reforms were aimed at eliminating inefficiencies and preventing abuses in the scholarship system, stressing that funding overseas training for programs already available in Nigeria had placed unnecessary financial pressure on public resources.
He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare of Nigerian students and warned against the spread of false information that could undermine education policies and reforms.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday granted 1.5 billion naira bail to the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe. In a judgment delivered by the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, the court admitted that Malami must pay bail of N1 billion naira while his wife was granted bail of N500 million. Each of the […]
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