NO ABANDONMENT, NO NEW AWARDS: FG SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON MOROCCO SCHOLARSHIPS
Abuja, Nigeria | January 7, 2026
The Federal Government 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, clarified that no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been abandoned. According to him, 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. He noted that any temporary delays in outstanding payments are due to fiscal constraints and are currently being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
Dr. Alausa further stated that no new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter. He emphasized that documents being circulated to suggest otherwise are fake, unauthenticated, and represent a calculated attempt to mislead the public and discredit government policy.
Explaining the broader policy direction, the Minister said the decision to discontinue government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad followed a comprehensive review which established that Nigeria now possesses sufficient capacity within its universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to deliver the affected programmes locally. As a result, only scholarships that are fully funded by foreign governments are now being supported, with all financial obligations borne entirely by the host countries.
Despite this policy shift, Dr. Alausa reaffirmed that the Federal Government remains fully committed to students already enrolled under the previous arrangements and will continue to support them until the completion of their programmes.
He also disclosed that students who may prefer to discontinue their studies abroad may formally write to the Director, Department of Scholarship Awards. Such students will be given the option of returning to Nigeria, where they will be seamlessly reintegrated into appropriate tertiary institutions of their choice. The Federal Government, he added, will also cover their return travel costs to ensure a smooth and orderly transition.
According to the Minister, the current administration is resolute in eliminating inefficiencies and abuses within the scholarship system. He observed that past practices which sponsored overseas training for courses already well established in Nigeria placed avoidable financial burdens on the nation. The ongoing reforms, he said, are therefore aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, and the prudent management of public resources.
The Federal Government reiterated its unwavering commitment to the welfare of Nigerian students and strongly rejected misinformation, blackmail, or any attempt to undermine policies designed to strengthen national capacity and safeguard the integrity of the education sector.
