The Federal Government has reduced the allowances for Nigerian students stuck in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria, among other countries, by 12.7%, due to economic problems.
Nigerian students in Russia, Morocco, Algeria, China, Hungary, and other countries have not received their scholarships for eight months.
These students are studying under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Scholarship, which allows education exchanges between Nigeria and other countries.
The Federal Scholarship Board, which is part of the Federal Ministry of Education, manages this scholarship.
The Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Ndajiwo H.A., signed a memo on behalf of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announcing the reduction.
The memo, dated July 23, 2024, explained that the allowances were cut due to budget issues.
The new monthly allowance is $220, down from $500, the graduation allowance is now $2,000, down from $2,500, while the research allowance for postgraduate students is $500, down from $1,000. Overall, the total payment per student has decreased from $5,650 to $4,370.
“The Scholars’ Association is hereby notified that due to the prevailing economic situation, the payment mandate for the BEA scholars’ allowances will be as per the new adjustment.
“The balances for the years 2023 and 2024 owed to scholars will be paid as soon as the funds are made available,” the memo stated.
Ayuba Anas, President of the Union of Nigerian Students under the BEA Scholarship, said, “For the past six to eight months, scholars enrolled in various institutions abroad have endured financial strain due to the delay in receiving their stipends.”
“From the last payments we received (March-August), there was a shortfall of practically two and a half months’ payment. Moreover, some students in China have not received any stipends since they arrived in April and May 2023,” he added.
