BEA scholars in China, Russia lament unpaid allowance
Nigerians studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship have lamented the non-payment of their stipends for the past 11 months by the Federal Government.
The BEA scholarship is for education exchange between Nigeria and the partnering countries.
The scholarship scheme is being supervised by the Federal Scholarship Board under the Federal Ministry of Education.The students, under the Union Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars, in a statement, yesterday, said that the situation had left them in serious financial hardships, which have also affected their academic performances.
“Some students in China have not received any stipend since they arrived in April and May 2023. In Russia, students are struggling with the increased cost of living due to sanctions.
“This pattern of delayed payments has persisted for years, diverting our focus from academic pursuits to survival (contemplating our next meal, transport, medical expenses, and housing.),” the statement read in part.
They added that despite efforts to get their messages to the Federal Government through respective embassies and the Federal Scholarship Board, their pleads had gone unheard.
They also noted their abysmal living conditions in the countries of study.
For instance, they decried the situation in Venezuela and Morocco where there are no adequate provisions for accommodation, thereby forcing the students to take apartments and pay rent every month.
In a video posted by Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora, a woman, believed to be the landlady of some of the students, could be seen lamenting their conditions.
In another video, Anka, who said she is an estate agent, called on the Nigerian government to come to the aid of the students.
However, to drive home their demands, the affected students staged a protest in a video with placards of several captions, including “FG Nigeria, help us,11 months no money,” “Scholarship not hardship,” “BEA scholarship students in financial distress,” among others.
