By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Federal Government has scrapped the Bilateral Education Agreement, describing the scheme as a “waste of resources.”
The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, spoke on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by newly elected officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
Alausa said the government would redirect the funds toward domestic scholarship programmes that would benefit more students across the country.
He added that the decision was made following accusation of neglect levelled at the government by the previous beneficiaries of the scheme.
“2024, when I assumed office, I was asked to approve N650 million for 60 students going to Morocco under the BEA programme. I refused. It’s not fair to Nigerian students.
“By the end of 2024, all outstanding scholarships will be cleared. The 2025 scholarships are pending due to the budget appropriation process. They will be paid in the coming months. However, we will not continue the programme beyond 2025,” the minister said.
The BEA Programme, established through strong diplomatic ties and mutual cooperation, enabled Nigerian students to study in partner countries such as China, Russia, Algeria, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt, and Serbia.
Recently, the government clarified that all supplementary allowances due to Nigerian scholars had been paid up to December 2024.
It also appealed for patience, noting that additional funds had been requested to settle all outstanding entitlements affected by exchange rate fluctuations.
Despite this, Alausa, said that the government had decided to discontinue the programme.
Alausa criticised the lack of academic monitoring, noting that the government covers free annual travel for scholars without tracking their performance.
“In 2025 alone, the government planned to spend N9 billion on just 1,200 students. It’s unjust to spend such a huge amount sending students abroad to study courses available locally while millions of Nigerian students receive no support,” he stated.
He added, “We have evaluated every course these 1,200 students are studying abroad—every single one is available in Nigerian universities. We are cancelling the BEA. It is not the best use of public funds.
“That money will now be used to fund local scholarships and support more students.”
