The Federal Ministry of Education has announced a decisive policy shift away from long-standing international bilateral scholarship schemes that fund Nigerian students abroad. Speaking in Abuja, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa disclosed that the government is scaling back these external funding channels—such as foreign exchange support for studying in countries like Morocco—describing them as cost-inefficient and fraught with administrative delays. Instead, the Ministry is actively redirecting these resources toward strengthening domestic tertiary institutions, expanding vocational frameworks, and bolstering local student welfare.
The policy transition responds directly to persistent complaints regarding delayed stipend disbursements for scholars abroad. By curtailing international scholarship overheads, the Ministry aims to consolidate federal funds into higher-impact, domestic financing schemes. Officials emphasized that building sustainable local infrastructure guarantees equitable opportunities for millions of students at home, rather than subsidizing a limited cohort overseas.
Reinvesting in Domestic Student Financing and TVET
The funding previously committed to foreign programs is being funneled directly into the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has already committed over ₦200 billion to assist more than 1.6 million tertiary students nationwide. Alongside student loans, the government has allocated over ₦200 billion toward expanding student housing across federal universities and earmarked ₦150 billion for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) infrastructure.
Additionally, the Ministry is scaling up direct student support through Student Venture Capital Grants and deploying campus renewable energy projects to power laboratories, libraries, and hostels. Education stakeholders have expressed support for prioritizing domestic access, noting that fixing local campus infrastructure and preserving academic stability is the most viable path to national workforce development.
