Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Education has announced a 12.7% reduction in the allowances for foreign scholars currently stranded in countries like Russia, Morocco, and Algeria, among others, due to economic hardship in Nigeria. This is contained in a memo signed by the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Ndajiwo H.A., on behalf of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman.
According to the memo, monthly allowances were reduced from $500 to $220, the graduation allowance from $2,500 to $2,000, and the PG research allowance from $1,000 to $500, among other reductions. The total payments initially amounted to $5,650 per student but will now be reduced to $4,370.
Recently, the President of the Union of Nigerian Students under the Federal Government-controlled Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship, Ayuba Anas, stated that scholars (Nigerian students) studying in Russia, Morocco, Algeria, China, Hungary, and other countries, on the Federal Government’s scholarship have not received payments for nearly eight months. However, in the memo, the ministry assured that balances for the years 2023 and 2024 owed to scholars will be paid as soon as the funds are made available.
The Nigerian students are studying under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Scholarship, which facilitates educational exchange between Nigeria and partnering countries. The Federal Scholarship Board, under the Federal Ministry of Education, oversees the scholarship program.
