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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of abandoning Nigerian students studying overseas under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA), warning that the alleged breach has left about 1,600 students stranded abroad without financial support.
In a statement released on Sunday, Atiku claimed that the BEA scholarship scheme was quietly discontinued by the Tinubu administration without prior notice to parents, guardians, or the affected students—many of whom were already midway through their academic programmes overseas.
‘A Diplomatic Bridge Now Broken’
Atiku explained that the BEA, first introduced in 1993 and revitalised in 1999, was designed to enable Nigerian students pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies through bilateral agreements with partner countries. He described the programme as a vital diplomatic and educational bridge that has now been abandoned.
“What was initially described as a temporary five-year suspension soon metamorphosed into outright abandonment,” Atiku said.
According to him, the decision has left beneficiary students without stipends, with outstanding allowances now running into thousands of dollars per student.
“Their pleas are desperate and straightforward: pay the stipends owed, now more than $6,000 per student,” he said.
“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.”
Allowances Slashed, Payments Halted
Atiku noted that the situation worsened between September and December 2023, when stipends were unpaid. He added that allowances were later slashed by 56 per cent in 2024, dropping from $500 to $220 per month, before being stopped entirely.
According to him, no payments were made throughout 2025.
“The cruelty of the moment was sharpened by timing and tone. Hunger, rent arrears, and shame have become the daily companions of these students,” he said.
He further revealed that the crisis had tragic consequences.
“In Morocco, one student did not survive the ordeal, dying in November last year and turning quiet suffering into public grief.”
‘Expulsion by Neglect’
The former Vice President also criticised remarks attributed to the Minister of Education, allegedly suggesting that students who were “fed up” could be sponsored to return home. Atiku said the comment trivialised years of academic effort and personal sacrifice.
“To anxious parents, it sounded like expulsion by neglect. Today, that pact lies broken,” he stated.
Atiku concluded by saying that Nigerian scholars scattered across foreign campuses are waiting not only for their unpaid stipends, but also for reassurance that their country has not forgotten them.
