Real Reasons Tinubu Government Abandoned BEA Scholars, Arewa Group Alleges
- Arewa Defence League has accused the Tinubu administration of abandoning Nigerian students enrolled under the BEA scholarship scheme
- The group said assurances given to existing BEA scholars were later withdrawn, leaving many without stipends across several countries
- ADL questioned a new budgetary allocation for fresh BEA scholarships while current beneficiaries remained unpaid
A northern pressure group, the Arewa Defence League, has accused the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration of abandoning Nigerian students enrolled under the Bilateral Education Agreement for political reasons and described the situation as a failure of governance and moral responsibility.
The group said the federal government deliberately turned its back on scholars already studying abroad under a programme rooted in diplomacy and mutual benefit.
Source: Twitter
It also faulted the President’s silence in the face of protests by affected students and parents, calling it evidence of indifference to their suffering.
ADL accuses Tinubu of politicising scheme
In a statement issued Wednesday, January 14, in Abuja, the president of the League, Murtala Abubakar, said the crisis facing BEA scholars was unfolding quietly but painfully, marked by hunger, humiliation and broken commitments.
He argued that the scholarship scheme itself was not flawed, noting that education could not be classified as wasteful spending.
Abubakar said the BEA programme functioned as a partnership rather than charity, with host countries covering tuition and accommodation while Nigeria paid stipends.
He maintained that the arrangement had endured for decades despite bureaucratic delays.
According to him:
“A nation may abandon roads and refineries, but when it abandons its children, especially in foreign lands, it abandons its soul.”
The League traced the current crisis to the decision of the Tinubu administration to discontinue funding for foreign scholarships. It recalled that in May 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced that overseas scholarships would no longer be funded, arguing that comparable or better courses were now available within Nigeria following a policy review.
While the ministry initially spoke of a five year suspension, Abubakar said assurances were given that existing beneficiaries would be supported until graduation. He claimed those assurances later faded, leaving students across several countries without stipends or clear communication from authorities.
Source: Facebook
Budget contradictions raise questions
The group said frustration deepened when reports emerged that N1.764 billion was inserted into the 2026 Appropriation Bill to fund 300 new BEA scholarships. The allocation, it noted, covers allowances, health insurance and travel costs within the Ministry of Education’s N2.39 trillion budget.
Abubakar argued that the move contradicted claims of insufficient funds and worsened the pain of stranded scholars. He said inquiries and testimonies suggested the decision was influenced by perceptions of regional imbalance among beneficiaries.
According to the League, most affected students were believed to come from outside the Southwest, particularly the North.
The statement detailed unpaid stipends from late 2023, partial payments in 2024 and the absence of funding in 2025. It said protests had erupted from Morocco to Hungary, with parents demonstrating in Abuja and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar intervening without result.
Abubakar said some students now depended on borrowed support to survive and that others were allegedly forced into risky jobs. He accused the President of remaining silent on the protests and hardship, concluding that the silence itself was “the loudest indictment of all."
FG reacts to claim it abandoned Nigerian students in Morocco
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government had rejected reports suggesting that Nigerian students studying in Morocco under a bilateral scholarship scheme were abandoned or denied funding.
Education authorities described the circulating claims as misleading and deliberately crafted to distort public understanding.
Source: Legit.ng
