The scholars studying in Morocco under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship have raised alarms over unpaid stipends, triggering parliamentary scrutiny, public debate, and a growing controversy involving the Federal Government and social media activist VeryDarkMan (VDM).
The programme, managed by the Federal Scholarship Board (FSB), requires host countries to cover tuition fees, while the Nigerian government provides a monthly stipend of $500 for students’ living and healthcare expenses.
Under the agreement, scholars are prohibited from working abroad, as host countries assume the Nigerian government is reliably paying stipends. Any violation could result in arrest or deportation, leaving students wholly dependent on the government for survival.
Reduction of Allowances Sparks Protests
On 23 July 2024, the FSB sent a letter to the Association of Nigerian BEA Students in Algiers announcing an adjustment and reduction of stipends from $500 to $220 due to Nigeria’s domestic exchange rate fluctuations and budgetary constraints. The Board assured students that outstanding balances for 2023 and 2024 would be paid once funds were available.
“The prevailing situation concerning the domestic exchange rate in Nigeria makes it difficult for the Federal Scholarship Board to sustain the payment of BEA scholars’ allowances as contained in the award letters,” the FSB said.
“The payment mandate for the BEA scholars’ allowances will be as per the new adjustment. The balances for the year 2023 and 2024 owed to scholars will be paid as soon as the funds are made available.”
The reduction sparked protests from students, who said they were barely surviving on the original stipend and could not manage on $220.
House of Representatives Investigates
On 26 November 2025, the House of Representatives convened an investigative hearing on “Alleged Abuse of Process, Breach of Terms of Engagement, and Failure to Pay Scholarship Stipends to Nigerian Students in the Diaspora (HR.49/10/2025).”
“This hearing provides a platform to examine scholarship administration, investigate irregularities and stipend delays, and guide reforms that protect the welfare of Nigerian students abroad,” said Hon. David Agada Ogewu, representing the Speaker.
Dalhatu Tijjani Yusha’u, representing BEA scholars, told the committee that students had endured up to 16 months of unpaid or partial stipends, with allowances for 2023 not fully paid, over 86% of 2024 expenses covered by students and embassies, and no payments made in 2025.
“These are not just administrative delays; they represent the collapse of the very system meant to support us, the students,” he said.
“Many of our scholars have been evicted from their apartments. It is not fair to expect a scholar to survive on $222 a month abroad.”
Dalhatu also highlighted health challenges, noting that some scholars had been hospitalised due to lack of funds, while one student, Bashir Malami, reportedly died. Families and students, he said, sold property and took loans to survive.
“We are not asking for luxury; we are simply asking for survival and the ability to live with dignity. Scholars are not charity; they are investments in the future of this nation,” he added.
Students Speak Out
A medical student who requested anonymity said she was awarded the scholarship in 2018 to study medicine in Morocco and is expected to graduate in 2026.
“The prolonged non-payment of the scholarship has made life extremely difficult. I am constantly worried about how to survive. Some days I have to skip school because I don’t have money for transportation. I have also been on the verge of being evicted from my house several times,” she said.
She added that her situation was relatively better than that of many others.
“I have seen many students living cramped together in basements in some cities because they cannot afford proper accommodation,” she revealed.
“We are suffering, and we are pleading with the government to look into this matter seriously and resolve it immediately.”
The scholars have called for immediate payment of all outstanding stipends for 2023, 2024, and 2025, restoration of the $500 allowance, and a transparent monitoring framework to prevent future delays.
FSB Responds, Speaker Stresses Urgency
At the hearing, FSB Director Ndajiwo Asta said no student was owed stipends up to 2023, attributing the backlog for 2023 and 2024 to currency fluctuations.
“Budgets are prepared in our local currency but paid in dollars abroad. By the time the mandate goes through the Ministry of Finance and CBN, the exchange rate has changed, resulting in a shortfall.”
She confirmed that funds for 2025 were included in the capital budget.
The House Speaker stressed that the situation required urgent intervention.
“Even the existing $500 allowance is insufficient due to global inflation. Nigerian scholars abroad are ambassadors whose welfare directly affects the country’s image. Sponsorship is a binding contract that must be respected, both morally and politically.”
VDM’s Viral Video Sparks Fresh Controversy
The crisis escalated on January 6, when social media influencer and activist VeryDarkMan (VDM) released a viral video accusing the Federal Government of abandoning Nigerian students in Morocco.
“There is no future for Nigerians in the hands of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration,” he said.
“Mr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, your office took our brothers and sisters outside Nigeria and abandoned them there.”
VDM also alleged that one of the scholars, Bashir Malami, had died while abroad.
FG Denies Abandonment
In a press release issued on January 7, the Federal Ministry of Education dismissed the allegations as misleading and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa (CON), said no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship had been abandoned.
According to him, all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship (BES) Programme prior to 2024 had received payments up to the 2024 budget year, while delays were due to fiscal constraints being addressed through engagements with the Ministry of Finance.
He also denied claims of new bilateral scholarship awards in October 2025 or later, describing circulating documents as “fake and unauthenticated.”
“No new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter,” he said.
The Minister explained that government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad were discontinued following a policy review which found Nigeria had sufficient local capacity. Only foreign government-funded scholarships are now supported, with host countries bearing full financial responsibility.
He assured that students already enrolled would continue to receive support until graduation, adding that those who wish to discontinue may be reintegrated into Nigerian institutions, with return travel costs covered.
VDM Fires Back With Evidence
VDM rejected the government’s position, releasing additional videos and documents, including what he claimed was an award letter dated September 1, 2025, insisting the scholarship programme remained active.
He also referenced the July 23, 2024 FSB letter acknowledging arrears.
“You called what I posted ‘false and unfounded.’ Okay, here is the evidence of the fraudulence activities that is going on in the Ministry of Education,” he said.
“If you say it’s false, charge me to court. I will be in Nigeria on the 20th of this month,from the airport you can take me straight to court.”
“Pay up what you owe Nigerians,” he added.
VDM said he visited the scholars and described their living conditions as poor and distressing, warning that prolonged delays could endanger students’ health and wellbeing.
“Did you say ‘no abandonment’ in your earlier press release? See what children that are on scholarship with a budget are going through,” he wrote in a post tagging the Ministry of Education.
As of filing this report, the Federal Ministry of Education had not responded to the latest claims and documents released by VDM.