The Federal Government has rejected reports that Nigerian scholarship students in Morocco have been abandoned, describing the claims as false and deliberately misleading.
The controversy followed a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by activist Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, in which several Nigerian students in Morocco alleged they had not received financial support for years despite being government scholarship recipients.
In a statement on Wednesday, Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, said the narratives circulating were “false, unfounded, and deliberately crafted to misinform the public.”
Minister of Education Maruf Alausa confirmed that “no Nigerian student on a valid Federal Government scholarship has been abandoned.”
He added that all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship Programme prior to 2024 received payments up to that year.
“Any delays in outstanding payments, he explained, were due to fiscal constraints and are being addressed by ongoing engagements between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
Alausa also denied claims that new bilateral scholarships were awarded in 2025.
He stated that documents suggesting otherwise are “fake, unauthenticated, and constitute a calculated attempt to mislead the public and discredit government policy.”
The ministry explained that the discontinuation of government-funded bilateral scholarships followed a policy review, noting that Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges now have the capacity to run the affected programmes locally.
“Only scholarships fully funded by foreign governments are being supported going forward.
Despite the policy shift, the FG said it remains committed to students already enrolled under previous arrangements and will support them until they complete their programmes.
Students wishing to return to Nigeria will be reintegrated into appropriate institutions, with travel costs covered by the government.
The reforms, Alausa said, aim to ensure transparency, accountability, and prudent management of public resources, while safeguarding the welfare of Nigerian students.
