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BEA Scholars Dispute Education Minister’s Claims on Unpaid Allowance Figures
The controversy over the delayed payment of monthly allowances to Nigerian scholars abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) between Nigeria and some foreign countries took a twist at the weekend when the students’ union body and their parents faulted the claims by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa on the current fate of the students and the state of their welfare.
The students’ body, under the aegis of the Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars (UNBEAS), said apart from the unpaid allowance for the first four months of 2025, each of the scholars is owed a total of $6,720 for 2023 and 2024 combined.
They alleged that the Ministry of Education’s claims that all allowances except for January to April 2025, have been paid, in its last public statement, were inaccurate.
The minister, in an interview with THISDAY on Thursday, had faulted the agitation by the students’ body for the payment of their outstanding allowances, which he attributed to the delay in budget provision.
The minister insisted that all the allowances, except for January to April 2025, had been paid.
The minister further disclosed that he would be meeting with the Association of the Parents of the BEA Scholars this week.
The minister’s position was re-echoed yesterday in a press statement by the ministry, which not only justifies the 56 per cent slash in the allowance to the students but also claimed that the needs of the scholars have been taken care of by the hosting countries.
The statement added that the government was making plans to clear the outstanding payments for 2025.
However, reacting on its X account, the student’s body, under the aegis of the UNBEAS, said apart from the unpaid allowance for the first four months in 2025, each of the scholars is owed a total of $6,720 for 2023 and 2024 combined.
The statement signed by the President of the Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars (UNBEAS), Bilal Bakari Aliyu, explained that the minister’s position did not take cognisance of the earlier arrangement with the immediate past Minister of Education.
Aliyu described the claim by the minister that all the host countries provide accommodations and other necessities for the students, as untrue.
According to him, the immediate past Minister of State for Education toured some of the countries to have a personal experience of the student’s complaints.
The students’ press statement reads: “On Host Country Support (Accommodation and Monthly Stipends), the claim that host countries provide beneficiaries with accommodation and monthly stipends is not accurate in several countries where Nigerian scholars are present.
“For instance, in Morocco, scholars do not receive government-provided accommodation. This has been officially addressed by Moroccan authorities and acknowledged by the Federal Scholarship Board (FSB).
“The former Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, personally visited Morocco on 30th April 2021 and verified this.
“In Algeria, scholars receive the equivalent of $70 once every four months, which cannot be classified as a monthly stipend.”
“The assertion that all supplementary allowances have been paid up to December 2024 is incorrect. A breakdown is as follows: In 2023, each scholar is still owed: $1,123 in exchange rate differentials (March–August), $2,000 for four unpaid months (September–December), and the total is $3,123 per scholar.”
On the issue of deductions, the statement said, “In 2024, scholars were informed at the time of disbursement about a 56% reduction in stipends (from $500 to $220), with no prior notice or justification: saying each of the students has lost $3,360 due to the reduction $237 due to a CBN-related delay, bringing the total to $3,597 per scholar.
“Combined, this brings the total outstanding to $6,720 per scholar for 2023 and 2024 alone.
It added that as of April 2025, no stipend payments have been made for the year, pointing out that scholars across multiple countries continue to face serious financial hardship.
“The FSB issued a circular affirming that shortfalls would be resolved when funds are available. This was further reinforced by a public statement from the former Minister of Education,” the students’ union said.
Meanwhile, some parents of the affected students have appealed to the minister to assist in the payment of the outstanding allowance, including the differentials in the allowance since 2023.
“It is strange that while costs of living are skyrocketing all over the world, our government has chosen to cut students’ allowance by more than half. How will these students cope?” a parent who spoke on the condition of anonymity queried.
