The Federal Government has dismissed claims that Nigerian students studying in Morocco under government scholarships have been abandoned, describing such reports as false, misleading and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.
In a press release obtained by The News Chronicle on Wednesday by the Federal Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, clarified that no Nigerian student enrolled under a valid Federal Government scholarship has been left unsupported.
He explained that all beneficiaries admitted under the Bilateral Education Scholarship (BES) programme before 2024 have received payments up to the 2024 budget year.
According to the Minister, any temporary delays in outstanding payments are due to prevailing fiscal constraints and are being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
The Ministry further refuted documents circulating online suggesting that new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or thereafter, calling them fake and unauthenticated. It stressed that no new bilateral scholarship awards have been granted since then.
Dr. Alausa noted that the decision to discontinue government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad followed a comprehensive policy review, which established that Nigeria now has sufficient capacity within its universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to offer the affected programmes locally.
Consequently, the Federal Government will now only support scholarships fully funded by foreign governments, with all financial obligations borne by the host countries.
However, the Ministry reaffirmed that students already enrolled under previous arrangements will continue to receive full government support until the completion of their programmes.
Students who choose to discontinue their studies abroad may also return to Nigeria and will be reintegrated into appropriate tertiary institutions, with the Federal Government covering their return travel costs.
The government reiterated its commitment to transparency, accountability and the welfare of Nigerian students, while warning against misinformation and attempts to undermine education sector reforms.
