A serious rift has emerged between the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Federal Government over the welfare of scholars currently studying in Morocco. The student body recently raised an alarm, alleging that many on government-sponsored scholarships have been left in dire straits, facing homelessness and severe medical neglect. These concerns were sparked by a viral video showing students in distress, many of whom claimed the current administration had turned its back on them.
NANS Vice President for External Affairs, Kenechukwu Aneke, described the situation as a heartbreaking betrayal of trust. The association painted a grim picture of students being forced to beg for food nightly to survive. Most tragically, NANS reported the death of one student, Bashir Malami, whose passing they attribute directly to the administrative failures and lack of support from home.
Faced with this crisis, NANS is demanding an immediate investigation into how scholarship funds are being managed. They are calling for the urgent release of all outstanding stipends and allowances, as well as the repatriation of students who can no longer sustain themselves abroad. The student body emphasized that it is unacceptable for young Nigerians, sent abroad on national assignments, to be exposed to such destitution when budgets have supposedly been allocated for their care.
However, the Federal Government has hit back at these claims, labeling them as false and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. Through a statement from Folasade Boriowo, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, the government insisted that no student on a valid federal scholarship has been abandoned. According to the ministry, all beneficiaries under the Bilateral Education Scholarship program enrolled before 2024 have been paid up to the current budget cycle.
The government did acknowledge that there have been some temporary delays in making payments, but it attributed these to broader fiscal constraints. Officials assured the public that the Ministry of Education is in constant communication with the Ministry of Finance to resolve the remaining balance. While the government maintains that the system is working, the contrasting reports from students on the ground suggest a deepening crisis that continues to stir anxiety among families back home.
