FG foreign scholarships are under review as the government prioritises funding for Nigerian tertiary institutions over overseas programmes already available locally

The Federal Government is reviewing its foreign scholarship and bilateral education arrangements to eliminate unnecessary expenditure and redirect resources towards strengthening Nigerian tertiary institutions, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said.

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Alausa explained that the government could no longer justify using scarce public funds to send students abroad for programmes already offered in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The aim is to build domestic capacity and secure better value for public money.

He recalled that shortly after taking office he received a proposal involving about 100,000 Nigerian students travelling to Morocco to study English-taught courses such as mass communication and journalism.

The plan raised concerns because the same courses are available in Nigeria and students would have spent their first year learning French.

“Number one, we have all those courses in Nigeria. And yet, number two, they were going to spend the first year learning French before they started the programme,” he said. Supporting such numbers abroad would cost millions that could instead help thousands of students at home.

The minister described the existing Bilateral Education Agreement as an inefficient use of resources. “So the Bilateral Education Agreement was not making sense, again, to us in government. It was a way to waste government funds. And this President will not waste any public funds.”

The review builds on an earlier decision to discontinue new government-funded awards under the bilateral programme while continuing support for students already enrolled until they complete their studies.

Foreign governments remain free to sponsor Nigerian students, but the Federal Government will be more selective about committing Nigerian public funds.

Alausa noted that the circumstances that once justified large-scale overseas scholarships have changed.

Two decades ago Nigeria lacked capacity in many fields. In the intervening years the country has developed substantial capacity across its tertiary institutions.

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The scholarship review forms part of wider education reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.