The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has raised serious concerns over the federal government’s scholarship scheme, revealing that about 85% of Nigerian students sponsored to study abroad do not return to serve the country.
Dr. Alausa made this known during a policy dialogue held in Lagos, where he described the situation as a major setback to national development. He noted that the current structure of foreign scholarships amounts to a “drain on national resources,” adding that the government is now taking steps to prioritise local capacity building.
“Our records show that most beneficiaries of these scholarships remain abroad after their studies. This has continued to rob Nigeria of its much-needed human capital,” the Minister said.
He stressed that several of the courses pursued overseas can be studied within the country, urging a shift in focus to strengthening local institutions.
As part of ongoing reforms, the Minister disclosed that government funding through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) will now be tied to student population. According to him, any tertiary institution that fails to meet a minimum enrollment of 2,000 students within five years will be removed from the TETFund support list.
Dr. Alausa condemned the wasteful spending on under-enrolled institutions, revealing that some polytechnics with fewer than 600 students currently receive the same level of funding as universities with over 18,000 students — a practice he described as both “unfair and unsustainable.”
To address these challenges, he announced the establishment of 28 Centres of Excellence across the country. These centres are expected to offer world-class postgraduate training, promote job creation, and foster innovation and research, with the ultimate goal of reducing brain drain and nurturing homegrown expertise.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, warned that any institution that fails to meet performance and enrollment benchmarks will be excluded from future funding.
“We are now moving to a performance-based funding model. No more business as usual,” Echono declared.
