Federal Government has debunked reports alleging that Nigerian students on scholarship in the Kingdom of Morocco have been abandoned.
The Federal Ministry of Education described the report as false, misleading, and deliberately intended to misinform the public.
This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo.
Boriowo said that the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, clarified that no Nigerian student on a valid federal government scholarship had been neglected.
Alausa explained that all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship, BES Programme before 2024 had received their entitlements up to the 2024 budget year, in line with government commitments.
According to him, any delays in outstanding payments are a result of fiscal constraints and that are currently being resolved through engagements between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Alausa assured affected students that the government remains committed to meeting its obligations. He also refuted claims that new bilateral scholarship awards were granted in October 2025 or thereafter, stating that documents circulating to support such claims were fake and unauthenticated. He described them as a calculated attempt to discredit government policy and mislead the public.
The minister explained that the federal government discontinued funding for bilateral scholarships abroad, following a policy review which showed that Nigerian tertiary institutions now had the capacity to offer the affected programmes locally.
He emphasised that students who wished to discontinue their studies abroad may apply to return to Nigeria, where they would be reintegrated into suitable institutions, with the government covering their return travel costs.
Alausa, however, reiterated the ministry’s resolve to reform the scholarship system, eliminate inefficiencies, and ensure transparency and prudent use of public funds.
He also warned against misinformation aimed at undermining the integrity of the education sector.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
