Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs is set to spend approximately ₦1.347 billion on tuition fees for 254 new students at Baze University Abuja for the 2025/2026 academic session, according to official government payment records published by Govspend and reviewed by SaharaReporters. The planned expenditure emerged after the office released ₦673,849,864.55, representing the first 50 per cent of the tuition fees for the beneficiaries. The payment, identified as Payment Number #1001450013-1, was made to Baze University Limited and described as: "Being payment iro 50% Tuition Fees for 254 New Students for the period of September 2025 to August 2026."
Since the disbursement represents only half of the tuition fees, the total tuition obligation for the 254 students is estimated at approximately ₦1.347 billion for the academic session, assuming the outstanding balance is paid under the same arrangement. A breakdown of the projected expenditure indicates that the government will spend an average of about ₦5.31 million in tuition fees for each of the 254 students for the one-year academic session. According to records on the Govspend portal, the payment relates only to tuition fees. There was no indication that the amount covers accommodation, feeding, books, transportation, medical care or other components typically associated with scholarship packages. The records also show that the initial disbursement of ₦673.85 million covers only half of the tuition obligation, suggesting that another payment of roughly the same amount will be required to settle the outstanding balance.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Nigerian government continued to channel billions of naira into scholarship programmes for students enrolled in private universities, while no federal or state-owned universities featured among the beneficiaries. A previous review of the Govspend portal showed that the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, paid billions of naira to private universities under the "Niger Delta Students Scholarship Schemes," administered through the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs. The review found that none of Nigeria's federal or state-owned universities benefited from the scheme, despite the country having 74 federal universities, according to data from the National Universities Commission.
The records further showed that several of the beneficiary institutions are owned by politicians or individuals with controversial public records. For instance, on October 31, 2025, Benson Idahosa University received ₦519 million for "accomodation and sundry fees" for 228 newly deployed students for the 2024/2025 academic session, representing an average of about ₦2.2 million per student. On the same day, Igbinedion University, Okada received ₦529 million for tuition, accommodation and sundry fees for 555 students. The university also received ₦359.6 million on March 18, 2025, for tuition fees covering 190 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Similarly, Gregory University received ₦446 million on October 31, 2025, for tuition, accommodation and sundry fees for 164 students, after earlier receiving ₦633.2 million on March 11, 2025, for 161 students. Other beneficiaries included Afe Babalola University, which received ₦327.8 million for tuition fees for 84 students and graduation gowns for five students; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, which received ₦99.5 million for tuition fees for 66 students; Achievers University, which received ₦205 million for tuition, accommodation and sundry fees for 101 students and graduation fees for 31 students; Edwin Clark University, which received ₦147.6 million for tuition fees for 212 students; and Hensard University, owned by Senator Seriake Dickson, which received ₦518 million for tuition, accommodation and sundry fees for 99 students. The review also showed that ₦300 million was paid to Afri-Kard Integrated Solutions International on December 31, 2025, for the accommodation of 158 students at Nile University, while another ₦102 million was paid on June 25, 2025, as accommodation fee arrears for students of the institution. In total, ₦4.184 billion was paid to private universities under the scholarship scheme in 2025 alone.
By comparison, fee schedules published by federal universities show significantly lower tuition charges. The University of Benin charges between ₦105,000 and ₦115,000 for fresh undergraduate students, while Obafemi Awolowo University charges between ₦151,200 and ₦190,200 for newly admitted students, with similar fee ranges obtainable in many other federal universities. It remains unclear why the Federal Government continues to commit billions of naira to sponsoring students in some of Nigeria's most expensive private universities, while based on data reviewed for this report, no federal or state-owned university has appeared among the beneficiaries of the Niger Delta scholarship scheme.
Baze University, one of the beneficiary institutions, is owned by Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 vice presidential aspirant of the Labour Party. The university is widely regarded as one of Nigeria's most expensive private universities, charging between ₦2.7 million and ₦4.5 million per session, depending on the course. The revelation has sparked widespread criticism, with many Nigerians questioning why the government would spend such massive sums on private institutions while public universities struggle with inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and frequent industrial actions. As the country grapples with a deepening education crisis, the government's spending priorities have once again come under intense scrutiny.
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