Parents of student beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Programme have staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja over the non-payment of 16 months of arrears of living allowances.
They occupied the entrance of the ministry with placards.
The Federal Government’s BEA is a fully funded initiative that allows Nigerian students to study abroad in partner countries like Russia, China, Hungary, and Morocco.
The programme covers tuition, accommodation, and medical care, while also providing a living allowance of $500 monthly for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The allowance was, however, slashed to $220 per student per month in 2024.
The protesters said the government’s inability to meet its obligations had made many of the beneficiaries stranded in their respective countries of studies.
More to follow…