The Arewa Defence League, a prominent northern pressure group, has leveled serious accusations against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alleging the deliberate abandonment of Nigerian students studying overseas under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship scheme. The group describes the situation as a profound failure of governance and moral responsibility.
Broken Promises and Silent Suffering
In a statement released on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in Abuja, the President of the League, Murtala Abubakar, painted a grim picture of the crisis. He stated that assurances given to existing BEA scholars that they would be supported until graduation were later withdrawn. This has left many students across several countries without their essential stipends, leading to situations marked by hunger, humiliation, and a stark breach of commitment.
Abubakar emphasized that the BEA programme is a partnership, not charity, with host countries covering tuition and accommodation while Nigeria is responsible for stipends. He argued that education cannot be classified as wasteful spending and lamented, "A nation may abandon roads and refineries, but when it abandons its children, especially in foreign lands, it abandons its soul." The group also criticized President Tinubu's silence in the face of protests by affected students and parents as evidence of indifference.
Policy Reversal and Alleged Political Motives
The League traced the root of the crisis to a policy announcement made in May 2025 by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. The minister declared that the federal government would stop funding overseas scholarships, arguing that comparable or better courses were now available within Nigeria. While initially framed as a five-year suspension, assurances were reportedly given that current beneficiaries would not be affected.
However, these assurances allegedly faded. The group claims the decision to defund the scholars was influenced by perceptions of a regional imbalance among beneficiaries, with most affected students believed to come from outside the Southwest, particularly the Northern region. The statement detailed a timeline of financial neglect: unpaid stipends from late 2023, partial payments in 2024, and a complete absence of funding in 2025.
Budget Contradiction Deepens the Crisis
A point of major contention raised by the Arewa Defence League is a seemingly contradictory budgetary allocation. The group highlighted that the 2026 Appropriation Bill includes a sum of N1.764 billion earmarked to fund 300 new BEA scholarships. This allocation, found within the Ministry of Education's N2.39 trillion budget, is intended for allowances, health insurance, and travel costs for new scholars.
Abubakar argued that this move blatantly contradicts the government's claims of insufficient funds and intensifies the pain of currently stranded scholars. It raises critical questions about the administration's priorities and the logic behind funding new awards while existing beneficiaries are left in limbo.
The fallout from this situation has been widespread. Protests have erupted from Morocco to Hungary, with parents demonstrating in Abuja. Even former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has intervened, though without a decisive result. The League's statement alleges that some students now survive on borrowed support or have been forced into risky employment to make ends meet.
In a previous reaction, the federal government had rejected reports of abandoning scholars in Morocco, calling such claims misleading. However, the detailed allegations from the Arewa Defence League, coupled with the specific budget discrepancy, present a compelling case that demands further clarification from the Tinubu administration.
