BEA Scholarship Row: TDF Slams Atiku for Peddling Misinformation

BEA Scholarship Row: TDF Slams Atiku for Peddling Misinformation

The Democratic Front (TDF) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of deliberately spreading false narratives via social media to tarnish President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s education policies, particularly concerning the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarships for Nigerian students abroad.

In a statement signed by Chairman Danjuma Muhammadu and Secretary Wale Adedayo, TDF described Atiku’s actions as a reckless and unsuccessful attempt to discredit the Tinubu administration.

“Our investigation shows that claims about Nigerian students in Morocco being abandoned are false and politically motivated. Atiku leveraged this misinformation to smear President Tinubu,” the statement read.

TDF emphasized that the Tinubu administration formally ended the foreign scholarship awards system in April 2025 to strengthen Nigerian universities and invest in domestic tertiary education—a long-standing issue between ASUU and successive governments.

“No responsible government would spend millions on scholarships for a privileged few abroad, while robust courses are available at home,” TDF added. “This was especially wasteful given NELFUND sponsors thousands of students to study similar courses within Nigeria.”

The group commended Education Minister Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa for publicly debunking the false claims and urged Atiku to exercise caution, conduct proper due diligence, and avoid relying on unverified social media content before making public statements.

TDF concluded that Atiku’s actions reflect a decline in his political judgment and moral responsibility.