The Senate has summoned the minister of education Prof. Tahir Mamman and the Federal Scholarship Board over the delay in the payment of outstanding grants to Nigerian students stranded in other countries.
The move came after several Nigerian students at Teesside University were recently asked to leave the United Kingdom following a currency crisis back in Nigeria which has left them struggling to pay their tuition fees on time.
According to the Senate, some Nigerian students in China, Russia, Algeria and Morocco are also facing hardship in those countries.
During plenary on Tuesday, the Senate urged the Federal Government to impose appropriate sanctions on officials responsible for the pain and suffering the students are going through.
The lawmakers asked Tahir to provide a detailed report on the status of all Nigerian students under international scholarship programmes including a breakdown of their unpaid entitlements.
The Senate also urged its President, Godswill Akpabio, to, as a matter of urgency, “carry out a holistic investigation into the matter and ensure that necessary measures are taken to rectify this situation promptly.”
The resolution of the Senate followed a motion on a matter of urgent importance moved by the lawmaker representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Salihu Mustapha.
He said, “These scholarships are part of a broader initiative to promote specialised education through partnerships with foreign institutions, facilitated by entities such as the Federal Scholarship Board under the Federal Ministry of Education.
“This initiative supports the government’s commitment to bilateral education agreements and multilateral agreements with the Commonwealth and other international partners.
“There are reports of Nigerian students facing hardships in Algeria, China, Morocco, Russia and the United Kingdom due to non-payment of tuition and living stipends, leading to negative media coverage and national embarrassment.
“The recurrence of these issues suggests systemic failures, despite previous interventions by this distinguished chamber to prevent such situations.”
He added, “The Federal Government’s failure to meet its financial commitments under these international agreements for over 10 months, will jeopardise the welfare and academic progress of the affected students.
“The failure to fulfil these obligations not only undermines our national reputation but also poses significant diplomatic concerns and risks pushing our students towards unlawful activities to sustain their livelihood abroad.”
