Wahala Don Set Oo! Nigerian BEA Scholar in Hungary Faces Expulsion Over Unpaid $10,450 Allowance
Wahala don really set for abroad oo! A Nigerian postgraduate student studying in Hungary under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship has raised alarm after spending over one year without receiving a single kobo of his approved allowances. Now, he is facing possible expulsion and homelessness because his residence permit is about to expire.
The student, Oluwasegun Michael Ogundele of the University of Pannonia, has petitioned the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loans, Scholarships, and Higher Education Financing, crying out that since he resumed studies in September 2024, the Federal Scholarship Board (FSB) and the Federal Ministry of Education have failed to pay any of the funds promised under his scholarship.
According to him, the agreement between the Nigerian and Hungarian governments clearly stated his entitlements, yet nothing has been paid till date. These include a $6,000 yearly allowance, $250 for warm clothing, $200 for health insurance, a N100,000 take-off grant, a $1,000 postgraduate research grant, and a return ticket to Nigeria. In total, the unpaid money now stands at $10,450.
Ogundele said the situation has pushed him into serious hardship. For the past 18 months, he has survived only on a small monthly stipend of about €110 from Hungary’s Tempus Scholarship Foundation. He described his condition as one of illness, emotional trauma, and constant anxiety about basic survival.
“My academic performance and mental health have suffered. I am constantly worried about how to eat, pay bills, and remain legal in this country,” he said.
The wahala no end there. His programme is expected to finish by January 30, 2026, while his residence permit expires the very next day. Yet, he has no money to buy a ticket back to Nigeria. His passage allowance of $2,500, which should help him return home, has also not been paid.
He further revealed that he has not taken up any paid job because scholarship rules forbid it. Still, despite obeying all conditions, the government has failed to honour its own agreement.
In his petition, Ogundele begged the House Committee to urgently intervene and ensure immediate payment of all outstanding entitlements. He warned that his case is not isolated, stating that many Nigerian students abroad under the BEA scheme are suffering in silence. Some, according to him, have taken degrading jobs to survive, while others have reportedly died due to stress and untreated illnesses.
“Many of us are being treated like beggars abroad. We are looked down upon, and it has destroyed our dignity as Nigerians. The suffering imposed on us is unimaginable,” he wrote.
The matter has also drawn political attention. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently accused the Tinubu administration of abandoning Nigerian students under the BEA programme, saying over 1,600 students abroad are owed stipends and have been left stranded.
However, the Federal Government has denied abandoning students, stating that funding delays were due to fiscal constraints and that it remains committed to students already enrolled. The Ministry of Education also disclosed that no new bilateral scholarships were awarded in 2025, as Nigeria now claims it has enough local capacity to train students at home.
But for students like Ogundele, policy explanations no dey stop hunger.
As his deadline approaches and eviction looms, Nigerians are now asking: how can a government send students abroad in the name of national development, then leave them to suffer alone?
One thing be sure: wahala don set oo for this BEA scholarship matter—and everybody dey watch how government go respond.
Wahala Don Set Oo! Nigerian BEA Scholar in Hungary Faces Expulsion Over Unpaid $10,450 Allowance
Wahala don really set for abroad oo! A Nigerian postgraduate student studying in Hungary under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship has raised alarm after spending over one year without receiving a single kobo of his approved allowances. Now, he is facing possible expulsion and homelessness because his residence permit is about to expire.
The student, Oluwasegun Michael Ogundele of the University of Pannonia, has petitioned the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loans, Scholarships, and Higher Education Financing, crying out that since he resumed studies in September 2024, the Federal Scholarship Board (FSB) and the Federal Ministry of Education have failed to pay any of the funds promised under his scholarship.
According to him, the agreement between the Nigerian and Hungarian governments clearly stated his entitlements, yet nothing has been paid till date. These include a $6,000 yearly allowance, $250 for warm clothing, $200 for health insurance, a N100,000 take-off grant, a $1,000 postgraduate research grant, and a return ticket to Nigeria. In total, the unpaid money now stands at $10,450.
Ogundele said the situation has pushed him into serious hardship. For the past 18 months, he has survived only on a small monthly stipend of about €110 from Hungary’s Tempus Scholarship Foundation. He described his condition as one of illness, emotional trauma, and constant anxiety about basic survival.
“My academic performance and mental health have suffered. I am constantly worried about how to eat, pay bills, and remain legal in this country,” he said.
The wahala no end there. His programme is expected to finish by January 30, 2026, while his residence permit expires the very next day. Yet, he has no money to buy a ticket back to Nigeria. His passage allowance of $2,500, which should help him return home, has also not been paid.
He further revealed that he has not taken up any paid job because scholarship rules forbid it. Still, despite obeying all conditions, the government has failed to honour its own agreement.
In his petition, Ogundele begged the House Committee to urgently intervene and ensure immediate payment of all outstanding entitlements. He warned that his case is not isolated, stating that many Nigerian students abroad under the BEA scheme are suffering in silence. Some, according to him, have taken degrading jobs to survive, while others have reportedly died due to stress and untreated illnesses.
“Many of us are being treated like beggars abroad. We are looked down upon, and it has destroyed our dignity as Nigerians. The suffering imposed on us is unimaginable,” he wrote.
The matter has also drawn political attention. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently accused the Tinubu administration of abandoning Nigerian students under the BEA programme, saying over 1,600 students abroad are owed stipends and have been left stranded.
However, the Federal Government has denied abandoning students, stating that funding delays were due to fiscal constraints and that it remains committed to students already enrolled. The Ministry of Education also disclosed that no new bilateral scholarships were awarded in 2025, as Nigeria now claims it has enough local capacity to train students at home.
But for students like Ogundele, policy explanations no dey stop hunger.
As his deadline approaches and eviction looms, Nigerians are now asking: how can a government send students abroad in the name of national development, then leave them to suffer alone?
One thing be sure: wahala don set oo for this BEA scholarship matter—and everybody dey watch how government go respond.
