The Federal Government has started releasing 50% of outstanding 2025 Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship arrears to Nigerian students studying abroad, the Federal Ministry of Education said in a statement published on its official X page on Wednesday.
The partial payment settles backlog allowances owed under the BEA scholarship programme after earlier funding delays. According to the ministry, the funds were processed through the Central Bank of Nigeria and transmitted to Nigerian embassies and missions for onward payment to beneficiaries.
“The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of approved outstanding 2025 allowances to beneficiaries of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Programme studying in partner countries abroad,” the statement said. It added that the released funds represent 50% of the approved outstanding obligations for 2025 and that efforts are ongoing to facilitate payment of the balance.
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The ministry confirmed embassy accounts have been credited and directed missions to begin immediate payments. BEA scholars were asked to monitor their accounts for credit alerts as disbursements rolled out across different countries.
Background: The Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars (UNBEAS) had in March 2025 raised concerns over delayed stipends and a reported 56% reduction in allowance payments, saying many students were left stranded abroad. UNBEAS also said earlier payments covering January–August 2023 were incomplete due to exchange-rate shortfalls, and subsequent 2024 disbursements did not clear outstanding arrears.
Policy changes: In April 2025, the government announced the official discontinuation of the BEA scheme, calling it a misuse of public funds and saying it duplicated courses available in Nigerian universities. The ministry said existing BEA beneficiaries will be allowed to complete their studies while the government prioritises domestic scholarship programmes that benefit larger numbers of students.
Budget note: Despite the April 2025 discontinuation, the 2026 budget included allocations for the BEA: N1.764 billion for 300 fresh BEA scholarships, N105 million for verification of BEA institutions across 12 countries, and N5.6 billion to service 1,532 ongoing scholars. The BEA has facilitated study placements in countries such as China, Russia, Algeria, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt, Serbia, Cuba, and Turkey.
