A reported Federal Government scholarship allocation of ₦1.34 billion to 254 students of Baze University has sparked public debate, with Nigerians calling for greater transparency over the programme’s selection process and eligibility criteria.
Documents circulating online, which have not been independently verified, purport to show that an initial payment of ₦673,849,864.55—representing 50 percent of the total allocation—has been released to the institution.
The reports have prompted questions over why Baze University was selected and whether students in other public and private tertiary institutions across the country were considered under the same scholarship scheme.
Observers have also queried the basis for the reported average award of approximately ₦5.31 million per beneficiary, asking whether similar opportunities are available to students in Nigeria’s federal, state, and other private universities.
The development has attracted additional attention because Baze University was founded by Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election. Some commentators have raised questions about whether the award could be perceived as politically significant in light of recent political developments involving members of the Baba-Ahmed family.
However, there is no publicly available evidence that the scholarship was awarded for political reasons, and no official statement has linked the programme to any political consideration.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Government has not publicly responded to the questions raised regarding the scholarship’s eligibility requirements, selection process, or whether similar funding has been extended to students of other institutions.
The issue continues to generate discussion, with stakeholders calling for the relevant authorities to publish details of the scholarship programme, including its objectives, qualifying criteria, participating institutions, and the list of beneficiaries, in the interest of transparency and public accountability.
