Nigeria Spends N1bn On Foreign Students

Nigeria spends about N1 billion annually as scholarship for foreign students studying in the country, the director, Federal Scholarship Board, Mrs Hindatu Abdullahi, has said.

Abdullahi said in Abuja yesterday that government was spending the amount on the programme as ‘reciprocal scholarship’ for the students concerned. She said the scholarship was part of the Bilateral Education Agreements (BEA) programme between Nigeria and some other countries.

The director said that as part of the agreement, Nigeria bears the cost of tuition, accommodation and a little supplementation for the students.

The countries, Abdulahi further said, were India, Turkey, Russia, Cuba, China, Japan, Algeria, Ukraine, Romania, Syria, Czech Republic and Egypt. She said that many Nigerians were also studying in those countries.

“Their host countries are also expected to pay for accommodation, tuition and allowances,” Abdulahi said.

She said that when admitted to institutions in those countries, Nigeria caters for their travel expenses, all administrative works and health insurance. “The country is also expected to pay for their warm clothing allowances, $500 monthly allowance and $1,000 as research allowance for final year students,” he said.