BEA: Parents of Scholars Barricade Finance Ministry Over Non-payment of allowance
A call has gone to the Federal Government to fulfill the terms of agreement it signed with Parents of Scholars, under the aegis of Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Scheme.
The Scholars’ parents disclosed this when they blocked the entrance to the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja on Monday, frowned at the government’s refusal to pay statutory stipends to the students.
They alleged that the Federal Government’s refusal has pushed some of them into prostitution, drugs and other destructive social vices abroad, adding that it was shameful that the host countries have even paid 80% of the tuition fees.
They noted that the scholarship made tremendous effects but lamented that their children have had to endure this hardship due to the refusal of the Federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, to fulfill its own obligation to Nigerians.
While the parents rejoiced at the onset of the programme, Mbashall Grace said their sorrows know no end as they cannot imagine the hardship their children are passing through in the name of BEA, some of them frequently call home seeking for as low as N5,000 to keep body and soul together.
One of the scholars, Dalhatu Tijani said none of the scholars have been paid a single dollar in 2025, as the government does not care about their survival, leaving them to wallow in shame and frustration.
He said the purpose of the scholarship seems defeated as most of the students cannot cater for their feeding, talk more of a roof over their head while some are mentally affected.
He said even though the President Tinubu-led government reduced the stipends of scholars from $500 to $220 since 2024 which is grossly insufficient to cater for the scholar’s need, it has failed to pay what it agreed to pay.
“Let the nation hear this clearly: We have lost one of our own. The death of Bashir Malami, a Nigerian BEA scholar in Morocco, is a stain on our national conscience.
“His passing was preventable. He died because he could not access the medical care he urgently needed because the government that sent him abroad failed to send the stipend that would have kept him alive.
“Many others are currently sick, depressed, hungry, and hopeless. Their mental health is deteriorating. Their physical health is collapsing. And their dreams, the dreams they left Nigeria with are fading away.
“Parents back home are equally drowning in debt, borrowing from neighbours, selling assets, and taking loans to support children who were supposed to be sponsored by the Nigerian government.
“This is not a scholarship anymore. It has become a punishment for being brilliant.
“If the government fails to act now, more lives may be lost, More scholars may drop out, More dreams may die, And Nigeria will lose some of its brightest minds,”
Tijani revealed that letters had been written and appeals made to the Ministry of Education Federal Scholarship Board (FSB), Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Ministry of Finance, the National Assembly, but all yielded no positive results.
Meanwhile, the parents of Scholars have demanded an immediate payment of all outstanding backlogs, 16 months in arrears, and eight (8) months of accumulated shortfalls from 2023 and 2024 should be paid to the students.
They also demanded the restoration of the original monthly stipend of $500 per month, which was the legally recognised amount as captured in the award letter and in the agreement form signed by all BEA Scholars at the point of departure.
Attempts to teach the Director of Press to respond on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters proved abortive as calls were not answered nor were messages replied.
