Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
FACT-CHECK VERDICT
Mostly True, BUT MISLEADING
THE CLAIM:
“Tinubu gave scholarships to St. Lucia students, but gave loans to Nigerian students.”
There is a real event behind the claim, but the wording creates a misleading impression.
1. Did Tinubu offer scholarships to St Lucia students? — TRUE, with an important qualification.
During President Bola Tinubu’s June–July 2025 state visit to Saint Lucia, he announced full scholarships for students from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to study in Nigeria. Saint Lucia is an OECS member, so Saint Lucian students were among those eligible.
The official State House statement specifically says the scholarship was for OECS students, not exclusively for Saint Lucian students. State House Official Press Release of June 30, 2025 authenticates this with the aide of chatgpt.
2. Did Nigerian students receive loans? — TRUE.
Nigeria’s Federal Government operates the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), through which eligible Nigerian tertiary students can obtain government-backed student loans for institutional charges and upkeep. The scheme is described officially as an initiative established by the Federal Government to remove financial barriers to higher education. This is contained in Student Loan Initiative at https://nelf.gov.ng/our-impact?
Does that mean Nigerian students were given only loans while foreigners were given scholarships? — MISLEADING.
The comparison leaves out important context. The OECS scholarship announcement was part of a bilateral/regional diplomatic and educational cooperation initiative between Nigeria and the Caribbean states. It was not announced as a replacement for Nigeria’s domestic education-support programmes. State House Official Press Release of June 30, 2025 authenticates this.
Also, the Nigerian government has other education-support interventions beyond NELFUND. For example, the Federal Ministry of Education’s current education-sector programme reports 1.59 million NELFUND beneficiaries, alongside other education interventions as contained in the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) at https://nesri.education.gov.ng/
BOTTOM LINE
The factual core is correct: Tinubu announced full scholarships for OECS students, including students from Saint Lucia, while Nigerian students have access to the NELFUND student-loan scheme.
However, the viral post is MISLEADING because it presents the two programmes as though the President chose to give foreigners free education while deliberately making Nigerians pay through loans.
The scholarship was a component of Nigeria’s international cooperation with the OECS, while NELFUND is a separate domestic higher-education financing programme.
FACT-CHECK RATING: PARTLY TRUE / MISLEADING.
One additional point: calling the beneficiaries simply “St Lucia students” is imprecise. The official announcement from the State House Abuja says OECS students, a wider group covering several Eastern Caribbean countries.
