The scholar, a student of the University of Pannonia, disclosed that when he contacted the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board in Abuja last week over his unpaid allowances, she told him that the money was with the Ministry of Education and advised him to “be praying.”
A Nigerian postgraduate student studying in Hungary under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship scheme has accused officials of the Federal Scholarship Board (FSB) and the Federal Ministry of Education of abandoning him to face eviction, deportation and severe hardship after failing to pay his entitlements for over a year.
The scholar, a student of the University of Pannonia, disclosed that when he contacted the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board in Abuja last week over his unpaid allowances, she told him that the money was with the Ministry of Education and advised him to “be praying.”
“I told her I needed to leave because my situation is critical, but she said there is nothing she can do. She only told me to be praying,” the student said.
"The university too has spoken with the immigration office. And they said I will be deported if I don't leave on 31st January.”
According to him, the management of his university dormitory has ordered him to vacate the premises by January 31, 2026, while Hungarian immigration authorities have warned that he will be deported if he fails to leave the country by that date due to the expiration of his residence permit.
"I am here now, seriously in fear. The dormitory management has instructed me to leave immediately on 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 scholar said he had not received a single kobo of his Nigerian government-funded allowances 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 the Nigerian authorities have failed to honour.
“Since the commencement of my studies in September 2024, the Federal Scholarship Board has failed to fulfil any part of the agreement and totally refused to remit my approved entitlements, despite repeated compliance with all requirements and continuous communication,” he wrote.
He listed the unpaid entitlements to 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 ticket to Nigeria.
The student said the prolonged non-payment had subjected him to “severe financial hardship, emotional trauma and deteriorating living conditions,” adding that his survival over the previous 18 months had depended solely on a monthly stipend of 43,700 Hungarian forints (about €110) paid by Hungary’s Tempus Scholarship Foundation.
“This situation has resulted in periodic illness, psychological distress and constant anxiety about survival, all of which have adversely affected my well-being and academic focus,” he said, noting that his academic performance and mental health had suffered significantly.
With his programme ending on January 30, 2026, and his residence permit expiring the next day, the scholar said he lacked the financial means to purchase a return ticket to Nigeria, warning that his passage allowance of $2,500 was also unlikely to be paid.
“I have not engaged in any paid employment during my studies in adherence to scholarship regulations, yet I am being pushed towards homelessness and deportation,” he said.
In the petition, he appealed for urgent intervention to secure payment of his outstanding entitlements, which he put at $10,450, including his passage allowance.
He also drew attention to the broader plight of 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.
Atiku said about 1,600 Nigerian students were stranded overseas after what he described as the quiet discontinuation of the BEA scheme, with many owed stipends of over $6,000 each.
The Federal Government, however, has denied claims of abandonment, insisting 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.