- FG says no Nigerian scholarship student in Morocco has been abandoned.
- Payments up to 2024 were made, with delays blamed on fiscal constraints.
- The education ministry adds that new overseas scholarships were awarded; existing students remain supported.
The Federal Government has dismissed claims that Nigerian students on scholarship in Morocco have been abandoned, describing the allegations as misleading and not reflective of the facts surrounding the Bilateral Education Scholarship (BES) programme.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that this clarification followed a viral video shared on social media platform X by activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), in which some Nigerian students studying in Morocco alleged that they had been left without financial support for years. In the footage, the students claimed they were experiencing severe hardship, including homelessness and lack of access to medical care, despite being beneficiaries of a Federal Government scholarship scheme.
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Reacting to the video and the public outcry it generated, the Federal Ministry of Education said the narrative of abandonment was false and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.
In a statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, on Wednesday, the government stressed that no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship in Morocco has been neglected.
According to the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, all students who were duly enrolled under the BES programme before 2024 received their financial entitlements up to the 2024 budget year, in line with government obligations. He explained that any outstanding payments were the result of fiscal constraints and not a policy decision to abandon the students, adding that discussions were ongoing between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance to resolve the delays.
The Minister also addressed claims that new scholarships were awarded as recently as October 2025, describing documents circulating online to support such assertions as fake and unauthenticated. He stated categorically that no new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter.
Dr. Alausa explained that the Federal Government had, following a comprehensive policy review, decided to discontinue government-funded overseas bilateral scholarships. The review, he said, established that Nigeria now has sufficient capacity in its universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to deliver the programmes for which students were previously sent abroad. As a result, only scholarships fully funded by foreign governments are now being supported, with all financial obligations borne entirely by host countries.
Despite the policy shift, the government reaffirmed its commitment to students already enrolled under the previous arrangements, assuring that they would continue to receive support until the completion of their studies. The Minister also disclosed that students who may wish to discontinue their programmes abroad have been given the option of returning to Nigeria, where they would be reintegrated into suitable tertiary institutions of their choice. The Federal Government, he added, would cover their return travel costs to ensure a smooth transition.
The Ministry further noted that the ongoing reforms in the scholarship system are aimed at eliminating inefficiencies and past practices that placed avoidable financial burdens on the country, particularly the sponsorship of overseas training for courses already well established locally. The government maintained that the reforms are designed to promote transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources.
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While acknowledging the concerns raised by students in the viral video, the Federal Government urged the public to be wary of misinformation and what it described as attempts at blackmail or deliberate distortion of policy decisions. It reiterated its commitment to the welfare of Nigerian students at home and abroad, insisting that claims of neglect in Morocco do not align with the facts on record.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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