Nigerian Students Abroad Protest Allowance Cuts Amidst Economic Hardship

 

Nigerian students studying abroad under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Scholarship are expressing frustration following a significant reduction in their allowances. The Federal Government has cut the allowances by 12.7% due to the ongoing economic challenges in Nigeria.

A recent memo from the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Ndajiwo H.A., on behalf of Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced the reductions. The cuts affect students in countries such as Russia, Morocco, and Algeria. According to the memo, monthly allowances have been reduced from $500 to $220, postgraduate research allowances from $1,000 to $500, and passage/graduation allowances from $2,500 to $2,000.

Despite these reductions, some allowances remain unchanged, including the annual warm clothing allowance at $250, health insurance at $200, pilot allowance at $700, and medical allowance at $500.

The students have faced an additional challenge as the government has not disbursed their allowances for over 13 months, forcing many to find alternative means of survival. Ronald Donald, one of the affected scholars, highlighted the difficulties, noting that living expenses in Russia and Morocco have risen sharply. In Russia, for example, the cost of basic necessities like bread has increased significantly, while students in Morocco must pay high rents due to the lack of provided accommodation.

Donald also mentioned that some students are relying on emergency loans from the embassy to manage their expenses until the Federal Scholarship Board disburses the overdue payments.