Prime Business Africa
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s administration for allegedly abandoning Nigerian students studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship scheme.
In a statement on his verified X account, Atiku claimed the program, established in 1993 and revitalized in 1999, was “quietly discontinued” without notice to parents or students.
“Their pleas are simple and desperate: pay the stipends owed, now more than $6,000 per student,” Atiku wrote. “Yet from the corridors of power came a cold, technocratic explanation: scarce public funds must be managed ‘responsibly,’ and money meant to keep these students alive abroad should instead be redirected home.”
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAtiku alleged that between September and December 2023, students weren’t paid, and in 2024, stipends were slashed by 56% from $500 to $220 monthly, stopping altogether in 2025. “Hunger, rent arrears, and shame have become daily companions,” he said. Tragically, one student died in Morocco last November due to unpaid medical bills.
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The Minister of Education countered, stating no valid scholar was abandoned, and payments were made up to 2024. The government attributes delays to fiscal constraints and policy shifts prioritizing local education.
Atiku, a presidential aspirant since 2007 and promoter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) opposition coalition, aims to unseat Tinubu in 2027.
