This and many similar questions are on the minds of many Nigerian students. Many brilliant and intelligent students want to know the options they have at getting scholarships that will make their dreams come true. They are looking for ways to improve themselves, acquire globally recognized degrees and contribute to the development of their country, continent, and the world at large. Is the worry these students have legit? Yes. Are they worried for nothing? Yes. Can a Nigerian get scholarships to study abroad in a country of his or her choice? Yes and yes.
Then why are these Nigerian students worried? Here are some reasons:
Nigeria is still a developing country
Although Nigeria is the giant of Africa, it is considered a Third World country. A country is a Third World country when there is still massive poverty, high death rate, and slow economic growth. To make the matter worse, there is the problem of insecurity that scares foreign investors away. These moneybags want to invest in Nigeria and set up their businesses here. The inability of the government to secure the lives of its citizens makes it difficult to do business in Nigeria. While this is true, it doesn’t disqualify Nigerian students from getting scholarships. First and Second World countries know that Nigeria is still developing, so they give scholarships to help Nigerians develop in certain areas. We are not alone, most African countries are Third World countries.
Nigeria is Blacklisted
This has been a major reason many students fear to go abroad. Nigerians are notorious for serious crimes such as internet frauds, impersonation, ritual murder and kidnapping. These terrible crimes against other people are threats to the international community. Some notable Nigerians are in foreign prisons for various crimes such as organ harvesting and cyber crimes. Many Nigerians have shared how they were stopped at some airports for extra searching before they were allowed to go. This bad treatment of Nigerians because of thel bad image is a problem that requires collective actions. However, Nigeria is not the only blacklisted country. India and Pakistan are also among the few countries that have a bad image. On the bright side, many countries look past the bad image and give scholarships to Nigerian students. They look at the intelligence of Nigerians, not the crimes of a few bad eggs in the country.
Nigerian government cares less
Most of the scholarships, if at all, offered by the Nigerian government are hijacked by politicians and rich individuals. These people award the opportunities to their children and extended family members. The practice of corruption has eaten deep into all public and private offices. Even when students from poor backgrounds get government scholarships, they are neglected by the government after a year or two. The worst of all happens when there is a change in government. The new government will cancel all the policies made by the former governments, leaving students on scholarships stranded in foreign lands. Fortunately, there are thousands of foreign scholarships, so Nigerian students don’t have to depend on the unpredictable nature of the Nigerian government. These foreign scholarships sometimes cover school fees, travel tickets and all the money students will need to live and study abroad without worrying about money and the Nigerian government.
Most Nigerian students have no funds
This is one of the major setbacks to studying abroad for many Nigerians. The cost of education is high all over the world. The cost of quality education is even higher. It will take thousands of pounds, dollars or euros to study abroad. Most students and their parents cannot afford it. Even if they can afford to enroll into the foreign universities, paying subsequent tuition fees may become difficult in the long run. The current exchange rate isn’t making it any easier for most interested students. The good news is that there are governments and individuals who have foreseen these obstacles and have decided to provide fully funded or partly-funded scholarships. For fully funded, they take care of everything you need and even give you enough pocket money to enjoy your stay. For partly-funded, you pay half or less than half of the overall cost of the scholarships. Either way, scholarships are the easy ways to get quality education abroad.
List of Scholarships Available to Nigerian Students
1. Chevening Scholarships
2. British Government Great Scholarships
3. UK Government Welcome Scholarships
4. British Council Scholarships Without IELTS
5. Commonwealth Scholarships
6. Gates Cambridge Scholarships
7. Postgraduate Scholarships by the UK Government
8. Oxford University Scholarships
9. King’s College London Scholarships
10. African Empowerment Scholarships In Nigeria
11. Guinness scholarship
12. MTN Scholarship
13. ExxonMobil undergraduate scholarship
14. Nigeria Lng Scholarship Scheme
15. Chevron Undergraduate Scholarship
16. Jim Ovia Scholarship
17. Muste Scholarships
18. PTDF scholarship
19. Agip Scholarships
20. DAAD undergraduate scholarship
21. MEXT Scholarship application
22. Mobil Nigeria Scholarship
23. NNPC Scholarship for undergraduate
24. Oregon University Scholarships
25. Shell Scholarships
26. American University scholarships
27. Ikeoha Foundation Scholarship
28. Lagos State Scholarship Award
29. NDDC undergraduate scholarship
30. Nigerian Girls Scholarship Fund
With the above listed scholarships available every year, Nigerian students need not worry about the future of their education. While we hope that things will change for the better in Nigeria, we should not allow the situation of the country to slow us down. Again to answer the question Can A Nigerian Get Good Scholarships Abroad, the answer is yes, yes, yes. There are many fully funded scholarships that you can apply for and get the best education abroad.