The Federal Government has dismissed claims that Nigerian students on scholarship in Morocco have been abandoned, describing the reports as misleading and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, clarified that no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been left without support.
According to the statement, all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship (BES) Programme before 2024 have received payments up to the 2024 budget year, in line with the government’s obligations. It explained that any temporary delays in outstanding payments were due to fiscal constraints and are being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
The ministry further stated that no new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter, adding that documents circulating on social media to suggest otherwise are fake and unauthenticated.
The statement noted that the decision to discontinue government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad followed a comprehensive policy review which found that Nigeria now has sufficient capacity in its universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to offer the affected programmes locally. As a result, only scholarships fully funded by foreign governments are now being supported, with all financial obligations borne by the host countries.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to students already enrolled under previous arrangements, stressing that they would continue to receive support until the completion of their programmes.
It added that students who wish to discontinue their studies abroad may formally apply to the Director of the Department of Scholarship Awards and would be offered the option of returning to Nigeria. Such students, the ministry said, would be reintegrated into suitable tertiary institutions of their choice, with the government covering their return travel costs to ensure a smooth transition.
The statement also emphasised that ongoing reforms in the scholarship system are aimed at eliminating inefficiencies and abuses, noting that sponsoring overseas training for courses already well established in Nigeria had placed avoidable financial burdens on the country.
The clarification followed a viral video on social media alleging that Nigerian students studying in Morocco under the Federal Government scholarship scheme were facing severe hardships, including homelessness and lack of medical support. In the video, activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, was seen speaking with students who claimed they had not received financial support for years despite being scholarship beneficiaries.
