Education

Northern Group Raises Alarm Over Tinubu’s Silence, Abandonment of BEA Scholars

Published

2 months ago

January 14, 2026

… Accuses President of playing politics with foreign policy

Joel Ajayi

A northern forum known as Arewa Defense League (ADL) has broken silence on why the federal government abandoned the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA), accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of playing politics with the policy.
The Northern group also condemned the President’s silence on the protests since the moral collapse of a programme built on diplomacy and mutual respect, describing the act as “the loudest indictment of all.”

In a statement released Wednesday in Abuja and signed by the President of the League, Murtala Abubakar, said the tragedy unfolding beyond Nigeria’s borders, is a one without sirens, but heavy with hunger, humiliation, and broken promises.

According to Abubakar, there is nothing inherently wrong with the BEA Scholarship Programme. Education is not wasteful. Knowledge is not extravagant. The BEA scheme was never charity—it was diplomacy, cooperation, and investment in Nigeria’s future. Host countries paid tuition and accommodation. Nigeria paid stipends. It was a fair bargain, honoured for decades, even if imperfectly.

“Yes, the programme has always struggled with delays and bureaucratic cruelty. But never before has a Nigerian government so casually turned its back on students already in the field, already committed, already vulnerable.A nation may abandon roads and refineries, but when it abandons its children, especially in foreign lands, it abandons its soul.”

The statement added that the justification to abandon the policy was thrift and the reality many now fear is far more cruel.

“It began when the Bola Tinubu administration abruptly scrapped the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Programme, a lifeline that had enabled thousands of brilliant but underprivileged Nigerians to enter classrooms across China, Russia, Morocco, Hungary, and beyond.

“In May 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced that the government would no longer fund foreign scholarships, insisting that every course Nigerians studied abroad was now available, “and often of higher quality, within local institutions.” Public money, he argued, should no longer be spent on overseas education when domestic alternatives existed.

The decision, he said, followed a “thorough policy review.” Yet for students already scattered across continents, this review translated into abandonment.

“Only days earlier, the ministry had spoken of a five-year suspension. Then came assurances, soft words meant to calm parents and scholars alike, that existing beneficiaries would be fully supported until the end of their studies. Those assurances have since dissolved into silence.”

While condemning the development further, the League said: “The cruelty of the moment deepened when reports emerged that the same government, which claimed it could no longer afford the BEA programme, had quietly inserted N1.764 billion into the 2026 Appropriation Bill to fund 300 new BEA scholarships.

The allocation, covering allowances, health insurance, travel, and other essentials, sits comfortably within the Ministry of Education’s N2.39 trillion budget. For the abandoned students, this was not a policy contradiction; it was salt in an open wound.

“But Government independent inquiries and testimonies from parents and policy insiders suggest that this was never simply about saving money.

“According to these accounts, the current administration deliberately withheld stipends from existing scholars, driven by a belief, real or imagined, that the earlier beneficiary pool did not favour the South-West. Most of the stranded students, it is alleged, come from other regions, particularly the North. The newly approved batch of 300 scholars for 2026, despite the programme’s supposed suspension, is widely believed to be tailored to correct this so-called ‘imbalance.’

“Why, then, punish innocent students already midstream in foreign universities? Why deny final-year scholars the modest stipends that stand between dignity and destitution? Why threaten to fund return tickets for those who dare to complain, instead of fulfilling the support they were promised? Is the cost of a one-way flight cheaper than honouring Nigeria’s word?

“The human cost is devastating. From Morocco to Russia, from China to Hungary, Nigerian students have protested in despair. Parents have marched in Abuja. A former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has intervened. Still, nothing changes. Stipends for September to December 2023 remain unpaid. Only 56 percent of allowances were released in 2024. In 2025, nothing came at all.

“Young Nigerians, sent abroad as ambassadors of hope, now live on borrowed kindness, shame, and uncertainty.

“Some, it is whispered, have been pushed into indecent and dangerous jobs simply to survive. While they struggle to uphold Nigeria’s image abroad, their own government reduces them to objects of ridicule among international peers, students from a country that sends its children out and then pretends not to know them.

“And President Tinubu has remained silent, playing politics with everything. Not a word on the protests. Not a word on the hunger. Not a word on the moral collapse of a programme built on diplomacy and mutual respect. This silence is perhaps the loudest indictment of all.”

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Education

Historic Matriculation: EUN Unveils ₦50bn Research Endowment

Published

6 days ago

March 9, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Chancellor of the European University of Nigeria (EUN), Nicholas Ukachukwu, has announced the establishment of a ₦50 billion research endowment fund aimed at driving innovation and cutting-edge research across specialised disciplines in the institution.

Ukachukwu disclosed this during an interview on the sidelines of the university’s maiden matriculation ceremony, explaining that the fund would support research in critical sectors such as medicine, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and other technical fields.

According to him, the initiative is designed to ensure that research carried out at the university produces practical solutions with real societal impact rather than remaining purely theoretical.

“We set up this university to be a centre for research, and the ₦50 billion endowment fund will focus on special categories of research and disciplines,” he said.

The chancellor explained that the university intends to support research from the discovery stage to practical application, particularly in areas such as drug development and technological innovation.

He noted that breakthroughs in these areas require specialised expertise, modern equipment and sustained investment, adding that the institution is committed to creating an enabling environment for researchers and students.

Ukachukwu emphasised that the research culture at EUN would be driven by results and societal relevance.

“I cannot call people, including myself, to put together ₦50 billion and allow research outcomes to gather dust on shelves. Whatever we invest in must produce results and impact lives,” he said.

He added that the university aims to nurture students who think beyond conventional classroom learning and develop innovative solutions to societal challenges.

Ukachukwu further revealed that the institution is building a centre of excellence equipped with advanced technology and highly skilled professionals, noting that government institutions may eventually collaborate with the university to benefit from its facilities and research outputs.

According to him, the university expects to begin seeing significant outcomes from its research investments within the next one to five years.Earlier in his welcome address at the matriculation ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of EUN, Emmanuel Ibezim, urged the pioneer students to pursue academic excellence, discipline and innovation throughout their stay at the institution.

Ibezim described the event as historic, noting that it marked the formal admission of the university’s first set of students.He said the university is committed to producing graduates who are intellectually sound, ethically grounded and globally competitive.

“Your admission into this university is a testament to your hard work and potential. However, admission is only the first step; what truly matters is what you do with the opportunity before you,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor assured the students that the institution would provide quality teaching, modern laboratories, digital learning resources and mentorship to support their academic development.

He urged them to embrace critical thinking, creativity and innovation while making effective use of the university’s learning facilities.Ibezim also stressed that the university maintains zero tolerance for examination malpractice, cultism, harassment, drug abuse and other forms of misconduct, advising students to strictly adhere to the institution’s rules and regulations.

He further encouraged the students to participate in approved extracurricular activities, sports and leadership programmes to build teamwork and leadership skills that would prepare them for life beyond the classroom.

The Vice-Chancellor also assured parents and guardians that the university management remains committed to improving teaching, research, infrastructure, innovation and student welfare.

A highlight of the ceremony was the administration of the matriculation oath and the signing of the matriculation register by the pioneer students, formally admitting them into the academic community of the university.

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