The Federal Government has announced the termination of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship programme, ending years of sending Nigerian students abroad for studies under international partnership agreements.
The decision was made in response to growing concerns over the programme’s cost-effectiveness and relevance, with authorities describing it as unsustainable in its current form.
Under the BEA scheme, Nigerian students were sponsored to study in countries such as Russia, China, Hungary, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Serbia. However, critics have argued that many of the courses pursued abroad, including English, Sociology, and Psychology, are available in Nigerian universities, raising questions about the justification for the programme’s continued existence.
According to the government, over N9 billion was earmarked for just 1,200 students under the scheme in 2025. This, it said, was an unjustifiable expenditure given the large number of students in Nigerian institutions lacking sufficient support. Authorities also expressed concerns over the relevance of some host countries, highlighting cases where students were sent to non-English speaking nations to study courses already offered locally.
The government further criticised the conduct of some BEA beneficiaries, accusing them of turning to social media to make demands over unpaid stipends rather than using official communication channels. While students currently enrolled in the programme will be allowed to complete their studies, no new applications will be accepted going forward.
The funds previously allocated to the BEA scholarship will now be redirected to strengthen domestic scholarship programmes. The aim, according to officials, is to ensure that a greater number of Nigerian students benefit from available resources, and to focus investment on the improvement of the country’s own educational institutions.
