Seventy-two recipients of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarships are set to depart Nigeria for Hungary next week, as announced by the federal government.
The government revealed that Hungary has offered undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to 72 Nigerians to study in various institutions in the country to promote access to higher education.
The scholars are expected to depart Nigeria between September 22nd and 23rd, 2023, for the resumption of studies for the 2023/2024 Academic Session in Hungary.
The minister of state for education, Yusuf Sununu, spoke at the pre-departure briefing ceremony on Thursday, September 21, in Abuja, advised the scholars to abide by the rules and laws of the country so as not to imperil their education vis-à-vis their future.
The minister reminded the scholars that the scholarship was a reward for excellence and encouragement to brilliant Nigerians who could not afford to sponsor their studies in foreign countries.
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Sununu added that this was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu to make quality education accessible to all Nigerians.
The minister recalled that the federal government, in 1999, revitalised the scholarship scheme by investing more in national and international programmes in a bid to strengthen the BEA with development partners to develop her manpower needs.
He commended the government and people of Hungary for the opportunity granted the young Nigerians to study in their country, noting that in spite of the global economic meltdown, the number of development partners has increased and many of them now offer scholarships to Nigerians.
The minister said: “The active Countries include Hungary, China Algeria, Romania, Morocco, Serbia, Mexico, Egypt and Venezuela. Other non-regulars include Macedonia, Poland, South Korea, Greece, Japan, Tunisia and Turkey.”
Sununu stated that in order to reciprocate their good gestures, Nigeria also offered scholarship awards to China and Romania in the past and hopes to reactivate the gesture as these countries and others indicate interest.
While urging the scholars to be good ambassadors of Nigeria in the country of their destination, the minister told them that their parents have spent a lot of resources on their education, saying the country also expects them to return at the end of their studies to assist in making Nigeria a better place by contributing their quota to the development of the nation.
He added: “I, therefore, urge all the beneficiaries of these awards to continue to polish the good qualities that you have been exposed to and be willing to learn, relearn and unlearn as you begin another phase of your life’s journey.
“To all the awardees, I say you have all overcome many challenges to get to where you are today, and every one of you has achieved success in your own ways.”
He enjoined the parents of the awardees to always uphold them in prayers and encourage them with sound advice at all times so as to make them and Nigeria proud by being worthy ambassadors in the country of their studies.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo said the scholarship was a testament to the remarkable academic abilities and potentials of the scholars, saying all of them demonstrated exceptional hard work for reaching the significant milestone of being selected for the scholarships.
Adejo, while also urging the scholars to be good ambassadors of their parents and Nigeria, reminded the scholars that the scholarship was not just a recognition of their past academic achievements but an investment in their future, adding that this comes with great responsibilities and expectations that on their return they would become a catalyst for change in Nigeria.
He said: “Most importantly, I urge you awardees to utilise this opportunity to acquire requisite skills that may be available in your host country of study needed for national development, also push the boundaries of your knowledge, explore your passion, expand your horizon, embrace new challenges, embrace the power of knowledge as a tool for effective change and make the most of the resources available to you.”
The Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Astra Ndajiwo, said that the scholarship was opened to Nigerian citizens in 2022 with 150 entries.
Ndajiwo said that after rigorous screening, 72 of the 150 applicants who sailed through had received their September to December allowances for their final departure to Hungary.
She added that subsequent payment of their allowances would start from January 2024 and would be remitted through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Embassy of Hungary.