By Edith Tsokar
The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified that the inclusion of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship in the 2026 national budget does not indicate a reinstatement of new foreign scholarship awards under the programme.
Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, disclosed this in a statement by Folasade Boriowo, Director, Press and Public Relations with the ministry on Friday in Abuja.
Alausa said the statement was necessary following public concerns and online reports suggesting a contradiction between the government’s earlier decision to discontinue the scheme and its appearance in the current budget.
He explained that the allocation originated from the 2025 national budget, which had already been passed and signed into law before the Federal Government halted the processing of new BEA scholarship awards around April and May 2025.
He said that under Nigeria’s budgeting framework, provisions contained in an already approved budget could not be removed retroactively.
The Minister added that the BEA component therefore remained part of the 2025 budget structure.
According to him, the 2026 budget currently being implemented is largely a roll-over of the 2025 fiscal plan, with about 30 per cent retained from the previous year and 70 per cent projected into the current cycle.
He said that all existing budget lines, including those relating to the BEA scholarship, were consequently carried forward as part of the standard fiscal process.
The minister emphasised that the continued appearance of the BEA allocation in the budget document was purely procedural and did not signify the resumption of new scholarship awards.
He said any adjustment to the BEA budget line captured in the 2026 Appropriation Act could only be effected through an approved virement, after which the allocation would be realigned in line with current government policies and priorities.
He reassured that Nigerian students currently benefiting from the BEA scholarship abroad would continue to receive full government support in line with existing commitments.
He urged the public to disregard misleading interpretations of budget figures that did not reflect the technical realities of budget formulation and roll-over practices. (NAN)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
