Nigeria’s education ministry has had a bilateral education agreement for over a decade with a list of countries in North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Studentsto undertake degree programmes. As the host country covers tuition, Nigeria finances sustenance costs for transport, books, clothing, and medical insurance.
A destination university is contractually obligated to house Nigeria’s BEA beneficiaries in student lodges. However, limited slots imply that these undergraduates and postgraduate candidates often have to rent apartments, diverting and depleting their monthly stipends for this. As Nigeria fails to make this critical monthly payment, many young students now face the threat of being evicted into the streets.
“Most of us are now homeless,” he added. “The embassy here can’t do anything because they can’t meet the needs of over 450 students.”TheCable obtained a video addressed to Tahir Mamman, the education minister, where a Moroccan real estate agent who hadn’t received rent for several months from a group of female Nigerian BEA students living in her property stated she might be forced to throw them out.
Food, medicine, and fuel are scarce and costly. Healthcare and electricity are stretched, with millions fleeing to neighbouring countries. The last time he received payment from FSB was in August 2023 when he was paid $2,080 for a six-month backlog instead of $3,000. Philip Awoniyi, the then Nigerian ambassador to Venezuela, had blamed the unstable naira-to-dollar exchange rate for the shortfall.“Honestly, my family has no money to send to me,” Adamu said. “Even when FSB pays, I send some money to them to support my brothers.”
Adamu has been struggling to make ends meet while waiting indefinitely on FSB disbursement. With no university hostel to stay in, he found refuge with the Grand Marshal of Ayacucho Foundation, a state-run non-profit in Caracas that offers aid to undergraduate and postgraduate students in Venezuela. He squats in a room with four other foreign students whose activities often disrupt his study time.“Five to six people can be assigned a room.
Ndajiwo said Nigeria has not sent the stipends because BEA scholarships fall under capital projects in the education ministry’s budget. Ndajiwo’s reply, some observers say, suggests the hindrance is due to a paucity of funds for the BEA, not the budget shift.
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