BEA Scholarship Remains Suspended Despite 2026 Budget Provision — FG

The Federal Government has clarified that the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Scheme remains suspended, despite its inclusion in the 2026 national budget.

 

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Federal Ministry of Education explained that the budgetary allocation for the programme was carried over from the 2025 fiscal framework and does not indicate a policy reversal.

 

According to the statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the inclusion was purely procedural.

 

“Due to budgetary procedures, such provisions cannot be removed retroactively,” Alausa stated, noting that the 2026 budget largely reflects a roll-over of the previous year’s framework.

 

He stressed that “the presence of the allocation is purely procedural and does not signal the resumption of new scholarship awards.”

 

The ministry added that any adjustment to the BEA budget line would require an approved virement to align with current government policy.

 

While new awards remain suspended, the government assured that all existing beneficiaries studying abroad under the scheme would continue to receive full financial support.

 

The ministry also urged the public to disregard what it described as misleading interpretations of the budget provision, reaffirming its commitment to transparency and prudent management of public resources.

 

The Federal Government had on April 30, 2025, announced the cancellation of new BEA scholarship awards, citing concerns over sustainability and weak monitoring mechanisms.

 

At the time, Alausa said the scheme had become an inefficient use of public funds, noting that beneficiaries were often sponsored without adequate tracking of their academic performance.

 

He added that funds previously allocated to the programme would be redirected towards domestic scholarship initiatives to benefit a larger number of Nigerian students.

 

The BEA scholarship, established through bilateral agreements with countries including China, Russia, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt and Serbia, had enabled hundreds of Nigerians to study abroad on government sponsorship.