The Federal Government has refuted claims that Nigerian students studying in Morocco under its scholarship scheme have been abandoned, describing the reports as false and misleading.
The rebuttal followed social media allegations that Nigerian scholars in Morocco were facing severe hardship, including homelessness and lack of medical care.
The claims gained traction after a video circulated online showing social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, interacting with some Nigerian students who alleged they had not received financial support for years.
Reacting in a statement issued on Wednesday, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, said the reports were “false, unfounded, and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.”
Quoting the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, the statement said, “No Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been abandoned.”
Alausa explained that all students properly enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship Programme before 2024 had received their entitlements up to the 2024 budget cycle.
He acknowledged that there may be delays in settling some outstanding payments but attributed this to financial constraints.
According to him, “Any temporary delay in payments is attributable to fiscal constraints and is currently being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Federal Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.”
The minister also dismissed reports suggesting that new bilateral scholarships were awarded in 2025, stressing that no such approvals were made.
He said, “No new bilateral scholarship awards were made in October 2025 or at any time thereafter. Documents circulating to suggest otherwise are fake, unauthenticated, and intended to mislead the public and discredit government policy.”
Explaining the government’s policy shift, the ministry said Nigeria had reviewed its overseas scholarship programme and concluded that local institutions now have the capacity to deliver many of the courses previously studied abroad.
The statement noted that government-funded bilateral scholarships overseas have been discontinued, adding that only scholarships fully sponsored by foreign governments are now supported, with all financial responsibilities borne by host countries.
Despite this change, the Federal Government reiterated its commitment to students already enrolled under earlier agreements, assuring that they would be supported until they complete their programmes.
The ministry also said students who wish to discontinue their studies abroad could formally notify the Director of the Department of Scholarship Awards. Such students, it said, would be reintegrated into suitable tertiary institutions in Nigeria, with the government covering their return travel expenses.
Alausa said the reforms were necessary to protect public funds, noting that “past practices that sponsored overseas training for courses already well established in Nigeria placed avoidable financial burdens on the nation.”
He added that the ongoing reforms are aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, and prudent management of public resources, while reaffirming the government’s commitment to the welfare of Nigerian students and rejecting what he described as “misinformation and blackmail.”
