The Federal Government has commenced a review of its foreign scholarship and bilateral education arrangements, with plans to redirect public resources towards strengthening tertiary institutions and scholarship opportunities within Nigeria.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the move was driven by the need to eliminate unnecessary expenditure, improve value for public funds and build stronger domestic capacity in the country’s education sector.
Alausa explained that the government could no longer justify spending scarce public resources to send students abroad to study programmes that are already available in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
According to him, the review became necessary after the government encountered proposals involving large numbers of Nigerian students being sent abroad for courses that could be studied locally.
The minister cited a proposal involving about 100,000 Nigerian students travelling to Morocco to study programmes taught in English, including mass communication and journalism. He questioned the rationale for sending students to study such courses abroad when similar programmes are already available in Nigeria.
Alausa also pointed to the additional cost and complications associated with language requirements, noting that students under the proposed arrangement would have had to spend their first year learning French before beginning their academic programmes.
He said such arrangements represented poor value for money, particularly when government could use the same resources to support a larger number of students within Nigeria and strengthen local institutions.
FG to prioritise domestic capacity
The minister said the circumstances that led to the establishment of some foreign scholarship arrangements had changed significantly.
According to him, many of the programmes were introduced decades ago when Nigeria lacked sufficient capacity in several areas of tertiary education. However, he noted that the country had since established numerous universities, polytechnics and colleges with the capacity to provide many of the courses for which students were previously sponsored abroad.
The government therefore believes that directing more resources towards domestic institutions could expand access, strengthen infrastructure and improve the quality of education available to Nigerian students.
The policy is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to reform the education sector and ensure that public expenditure produces greater impact.
Existing beneficiaries not abandoned
The review does not mean that Nigerian students already benefiting from the previous bilateral scholarship arrangements will immediately lose government support.
The Federal Government has clarified that existing beneficiaries under the previous arrangements would continue to receive support until the completion of their studies, despite the discontinuation of new government-funded awards under the scheme.
The government has also stressed that the policy should not be interpreted as a blanket ban on Nigerians receiving scholarships from foreign governments.
According to Alausa, foreign governments that are willing to sponsor Nigerian students may continue to do so. The major change is that the Nigerian government intends to be more selective about committing its own resources to overseas education.
Previous scholarship scheme faced funding challenges
The latest review follows earlier concerns surrounding Nigeria’s Bilateral Education Agreement scholarship programme, including delayed payments to Nigerian scholars studying abroad.
In May 2026, the Federal Government approved N4bn as part of efforts to settle outstanding allowances owed to beneficiaries, with the government subsequently indicating that a total of N8bn would be required to clear its outstanding obligations.
The government had previously scrapped the BEA scholarship programme, citing concerns over its cost, abuse and the availability of relevant programmes within Nigerian institutions.
Alausa has maintained that the objective is not to prevent Nigerian students from studying abroad but to ensure that government resources are deployed where they can produce the greatest educational impact.
Focus shifts to Nigerian universities
The latest position places greater emphasis on strengthening Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education so that students can access quality programmes without government having to finance overseas education where equivalent courses are available locally.
The minister’s position also reflects the government’s argument that investment in domestic institutions could have a multiplier effect by improving infrastructure, supporting academic programmes, strengthening research capacity and expanding opportunities for a larger number of Nigerian students.
The government is therefore expected to continue reviewing its international education commitments while prioritising programmes that provide clear value to the Nigerian education system.
For students and families, the policy means that government-funded opportunities for overseas study under bilateral arrangements are likely to become more limited, while foreign-government scholarships and privately funded international opportunities remain available.
The Federal Government’s latest approach consequently marks a shift from financing large-scale overseas study arrangements towards building capacity at home and ensuring that public education funds benefit a wider number of Nigerians within the country.
