A Nigerian postgraduate student studying in Hungary under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship scheme has accused the Federal Scholarship Board (FSB) and the Federal Ministry of Education of abandoning him after failing to pay his scholarship entitlements for over a year.
The student, who is enrolled at the University of Pannonia, said the prolonged non-payment has left him facing eviction, possible deportation and severe financial hardship.
According to him, when he contacted the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board in Abuja last week to inquire about his unpaid allowances, he was told that the funds were with the Ministry of Education and advised to be praying.
I told her my situation was critical and that I needed to leave, but she said there was nothing she could do. She only told me to be praying, the student said.
He explained that the management of his university dormitory had ordered him to vacate the premises by January 31, 2026, while Hungarian immigration authorities had warned that he would be deported if he failed to leave the country by that date due to the expiration of his residence permit.
The university has already spoken with immigration officials, and they said I will be deported if I do not leave by January 31, he said.
In a petition dated January 5, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the House Committee on Student Loans, Scholarships and Higher Education Financing, Oluwasegun Michael Ogundele, the student said he had not received any payment from the Nigerian government since resuming his studies in September 2024.
He said the scholarship, jointly funded by the Nigerian and Hungarian governments, was accepted based on clearly defined financial commitments which Nigerian authorities had failed to honour.
Since the commencement of my studies, the Federal Scholarship Board has failed to remit any of my approved entitlements despite repeated compliance with all requirements,” he wrote.
The unpaid entitlements include a $6,000 annual supplementation allowance, $250 warm clothing allowance, $200 health insurance, a N100,000 take-off grant, a $1,000 postgraduate research grant and a return air ticket to Nigeria.
The student said the non-payment had subjected him to severe financial hardship, emotional trauma and deteriorating living conditions, adding that his survival over the past 18 months had depended solely on a monthly stipend of 43,700 Hungarian forints (about €110) paid by Hungary’s Tempus Scholarship Foundation.
He noted that the situation had adversely affected his health, mental well-being and academic performance.
With his programme ending on January 30, 2026, and his residence permit expiring the following day, the student said he lacked the funds to purchase a return ticket to Nigeria, adding that his passage allowance of $2,500 was also unlikely to be paid.
He appealed for urgent intervention to secure payment of his outstanding entitlements, which he estimated at $10,450.
The student also highlighted the broader challenges faced by Nigerian students abroad under the BEA scheme, alleging that some had died due to stress, illness and harsh living conditions, while others had resorted to menial jobs to survive.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had earlier said that about 1,600 Nigerian students were stranded overseas following what he described as the quiet discontinuation of the BEA scheme, with many owed stipends exceeding $6,000 each.
The Federal Government, however, has denied claims of abandonment, stating that students enrolled before 2024 were funded in line with budgetary provisions, while delays were attributed to fiscal constraints.
The Ministry of Education also said no new bilateral scholarships were awarded in 2025 following a policy review.
