The Federal Government has dismissed as misleading and “deliberately crafted to misinform the public” reports alleging that Nigerian students on government scholarships in Morocco have been abandoned.
In a statement issued by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, clarified that no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been neglected.
“The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, wishes to clarify that no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been abandoned,” the statement said. “All beneficiaries 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.”
The statement acknowledged that any temporary delays in outstanding payments were due to fiscal constraints, adding that the matter is being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Ministries of Education and Finance.
According to the ministry, no new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter. It described documents circulating to suggest otherwise as fake, unauthenticated and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and discredit government policy.
Dr Alausa explained that the decision to discontinue government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad followed a comprehensive policy review, which concluded that Nigeria now has sufficient capacity within its universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to offer the affected programmes locally.
“Consequently, only scholarships fully funded by foreign governments are now being supported, with all financial obligations borne entirely by the host countries,” the statement added.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting students already enrolled under previous arrangements until the completion of their programmes. It also said students who wish to discontinue their studies abroad may formally write to the Director, Department of Scholarship Awards.
Such students, the ministry noted, would be given the option of returning to Nigeria and being seamlessly reintegrated into appropriate tertiary institutions of their choice, with the Federal Government covering their return travel costs.
The government stressed that the ongoing reforms are aimed at eliminating inefficiencies and abuses within the scholarship system, noting that past practices of sponsoring overseas training for courses already available in Nigeria placed unnecessary financial burdens on the country.
It added that the reforms are designed to promote transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources.
The clarification follows a viral social media video showing Nigerian students studying in Morocco under the Federal Government scholarship scheme alleging hardship, including homelessness and lack of medical support. The video, shared on X, featured activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, speaking with students who claimed they had not received financial support for years despite being scholarship beneficiaries.
