The Federal Government of Nigeria has firmly debunked misleading narratives circulating in some quarters regarding Nigerian scholarship students in the Kingdom of Morocco, describing such claims as false, unfounded, and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.
The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa CON, has clarified that no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been abandoned.
All beneficiaries duly 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.
Any delays in outstanding payments are attributable to fiscal constraints and are currently being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
The Honourable Minister further stated that no new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter. Documents circulating to suggest otherwise are fake, unauthenticated, and constitute a calculated attempt to mislead the public and discredit government policy.
This clarification comes in response to recent reports and social media videos alleging abandonment and hardship among Nigerian students in Morocco, including claims of homelessness and lack of support.
The Federal Government discontinued funding for bilateral scholarships abroad following a policy review, which determined that Nigeria’s universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education now possess adequate capacity to offer the relevant programmes domestically.
Moving forward, the government will only facilitate scholarships that are entirely funded by foreign governments, with all associated costs covered by the host nations.
Notwithstanding this policy shift, the Federal Government reaffirms its commitment to students already enrolled under prior agreements, ensuring full support until they complete their studies. Any student wishing to terminate their overseas studies may submit a formal request to the Director of the Department of Scholarship Awards.
Such students will be given the opportunity to return to Nigeria, where they will be smoothly reassigned to a tertiary institution of their preference, with the government covering the cost of their repatriation flight.
The present administration is resolute in reforming the scholarship framework, as earlier arrangements imposed undue financial pressure on national resources. Funding foreign training for courses already robustly available in Nigeria created unnecessary fiscal strain.
These reforms aim to foster greater transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of public funds, while reiterating the government’s dedication to the well-being of Nigerian students and its firm rejection of false information, extortion attempts, or efforts to sabotage policies aimed at building domestic capacity and upholding the credibility of the education sector.