The Federal Ministry of Education has formally dismissed reports alleging that Nigerian scholarship students in the Kingdom of Morocco have been abandoned.
In a press statement released Wednesday, 7th January 2026, the Ministry described the claims as "false, unfounded, and deliberately crafted to misinform the public."
The clarification comes in the wake of a viral social media outcry, including a video by activist Martins Otse (VeryDarkMan), depicting students facing homelessness and hunger.
Addressing these concerns, the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, clarified that all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship (BES) programme prior to 2024 have received payments through the 2024 budget year.
While acknowledging "temporary delays" in outstanding payments due to fiscal constraints, Dr. Alausa assured students that the Ministry is actively engaging the Ministry of Finance to resolve the backlog.
Signalling a major policy pivot, the Ministry reiterated that Nigeria has discontinued new government-funded bilateral scholarships abroad.
This follows a 2025 policy review which concluded that Nigerian universities and polytechnics now possess the capacity to deliver these programmes locally.
Moving forward, the government will only support scholarships fully funded by host countries.
For students struggling abroad, the government is also offering an exit strategy.
This includes the option to discontinue their studies overseas and voluntarily return to continue in any Nigerian tertiary institution of their choice.
The FG will cover the cost of the return and reintegration.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to existing scholars until graduation but warned the public against "fake" scholarship documents circulating for October 2025, urging citizens to rely only on official channels.
