NWDC and the Cancellation of Foreign Scholarship
The Federal Government of Nigeria has directed the North-West Development Commission (NWDC) to cancel its recently announced foreign scholarship scheme, which was made public on May 5th of this year. The scheme was intended to support both undergraduate and postgraduate students from Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states, who are pursuing studies in fields such as Engineering, Medical Sciences, Agriculture, ICT, and Education.
According to Mrs. Boriowo Folasade, the Director of Press and Public Relations, the rationale behind the cancellation is to prioritize local education and promote indigenous capacity development.
As expected, the announcement has sparked mixed reactions. While some applaud the decision as a strategic move to strengthen domestic institutions, others view it as a setback that limits the potential and global exposure of Nigerian youths.
There is, undoubtedly, a valid argument for prioritizing the growth of our local education sector. Nigeria’s higher institutions need support, and boosting them should be a national priority. It’s also true that many students sponsored to study abroad often refuse to return and contribute to national development. We’ve seen numerous professionals—doctors, engineers, and others—who benefited from subsidized education in Nigeria only to emigrate in search of greener pastures. What guarantee is there that students funded to study overseas will return to serve the country?
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However, the federal government must lead by example. It is deeply hypocritical to deny public-sponsored scholarships to ordinary citizens while government officials continue to fund their own children’s education abroad, often using public funds. Leadership demands integrity. You cannot advocate for local education development while simultaneously investing in foreign education for your own children. As the saying goes, “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.”
If Nigerian students wish to study abroad, they should do so through personal means or merit-based scholarships offered internationally, not through the public purse. Furthermore, children of public officeholders should be excluded from enjoying such benefits as long as their parents publicly champion local educational reform.
Ultimately, we must all commit to rebuilding and investing in our local education system. Only then can we make it robust and attractive enough to retain our best minds. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best education is one that serves your community.” That is a vision worth striving for.
Mojeed Ajibola wrote in from the University of Ibadan
