According to a notice issued by the Forum of BEA Scholars, the protest will be held at the Ministry of Finance headquarters in the Central Business District at 10am. Parents of affected scholars have also confirmed that they will participate, saying they can no longer shoulder the emotional and financial pressure caused by the government’s prolonged delay.
The scholars, who are entitled to monthly stipends of $500, said they have not received any payment this year, leaving 11 months outstanding. They further alleged that their 2024 stipends were slashed by 56 per cent, with the government paying only $220 instead of the approved $500. They added that arrears for September to December 2023 also remain unsettled.
Students in countries such as Hungary, Morocco, China, Russia and Serbia said they are struggling to afford food, accommodation, healthcare and transportation. Some have resorted to taking informal jobs in violation of their scholarship terms, while others have been surviving on charity.
The Forum of BEA Scholars linked the recent death of a Nigerian student in Morocco to the harsh conditions caused by unpaid allowances and warned that more students could be at risk.
The federal government had in April 2025 announced the cancellation of the BEA scholarship programme, describing it as costly and inefficient. The decision followed months of complaints from stranded scholars who accused the government of neglecting its financial obligations.
Despite recent assurances that supplementary allowances had been cleared up to December 2024, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, insisted that the programme would be discontinued after 2025. He argued that the funds would be redirected to domestic scholarships to benefit more students.
Alausa criticised the lack of oversight in the BEA scheme, noting that billions were being spent on a small number of students while millions in Nigeria received no support. He said the government discovered that all courses being funded abroad were already available in Nigerian universities.
The minister also disclosed that 85 per cent of government-sponsored students abroad never returned to the country, contributing to the decision to end foreign scholarships and re-invest the funds in local capacity development.
Meanwhile, many BEA scholars remain stranded in foreign countries, awaiting payment and clarity on their future.
