Parents Barricade Finance Ministry over Outstanding Scholarship Payments
Dozens of parents whose children are on government-sponsored study programmes abroad barricaded the gate of the Federal Ministry of Finance on Monday, demanding immediate payment of long-overdue maintenance stipends.
The demonstration, which began in the morning, forced ministry visitors to delay appointments and snarled traffic around the Federal Secretariat.
Organisers told reporters the protest was triggered by protracted delays in disbursing monthly allowances owed to beneficiaries of several federal scholarship schemes.
Parents said their children enrolled under bilateral education agreements and other federal scholarships have gone without regular support for well over a year in some cases, leaving many with mounting rent bills and forced to take menial work to survive.
Speakers at the rally demanded an immediate timetable for payment, public accountability for the arrears and a meeting with senior ministry officials.
Placards at the scene carried messages pleading for students’ welfare and warning that continued nonpayment could disrupt academic programmes and damage Nigeria’s reputation with host institutions.
Security personnel managed the crowd while officials inside the ministry were said to be unable to gain normal access to the premises.
Affected student bodies and advocacy groups have previously put the length of the shortfalls at many months. In April the Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars (UNBEAS) said scholars were owed several months stretching back to 2023 and 2024 a cumulative figure the group said amounted to thousands of dollars per recipient a claim that highlighted apparent administrative and budgetary strains behind the hold-ups.
Government spokesmen have on occasion acknowledged isolated payment gaps while insisting work was underway to clear arrears, but parents at Monday’s demonstration said assurances have not translated into funds reaching students.
At the time of filing, the Finance Ministry had not issued a specific statement responding to the protest; journalists said they would follow up on any official timetable or corrective action.
Policy analysts who monitor scholarship programmes warned that sustained interruptions could have ripple effects: students may defer or abandon courses, bilateral partners may reassess arrangements, and Nigeria’s long-term skills pipeline could suffer.
The protesters urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to prioritise clearing the outstanding sums and to set a robust mechanism to prevent future lapses.
