The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governorship Campaign Council in Ebonyi State has called for full disclosure of the financial details and beneficiaries of the state government's foreign and local postgraduate scholarship programme. This demand was made by Chief Emmanuel Igwe, spokesperson to the PDP governorship candidate, Chief Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii. The programme, which is funded with taxpayers' money, should be subjected to full public scrutiny, Igwe said.
According to Igwe, the Ebonyi State government should publish the names of all beneficiaries, their universities, courses of study, tuition fees, accommodation costs, allowances, and the total amount paid for each student. He questioned the widely circulated financial figures surrounding the scholarship programme, asking the government to provide a comprehensive breakdown rather than relying on aggregate figures. This demand comes after another batch of Ebonyi scholarship beneficiaries departed for the United Kingdom.
Available reports indicate that the state government aims to sponsor 1,000 beneficiaries — 300 for overseas postgraduate studies and 700 for postgraduate studies within Nigeria. The Chairman of the Ebonyi State Scholarship Board, Chief Chaka Nweze, repeated those figures in June 2026. The 2026 Ebonyi budget reportedly provided N20 billion for scholarships, comprising N15 billion for foreign scholarships and N5 billion for local scholarships.
Igwe stressed that the issue is not opposition to educating Ebonyi youths but the demand for transparency, accountability, and value for money. He alleged that the scholarship programme could be vulnerable to abuse if complete records were not made public. Any allegation of financial misconduct should ultimately be tested against documentary evidence, he added.
Igwe dismissed suggestions that criticism of the programme amounted to opposition to human-capital development. "Education is an investment. Nobody should oppose investment in the education of Ebonyi youths. But because it is public money, every naira must be accounted for," he said. The PDP spokesman emphasized that the departure of another group of scholars for Britain should be an opportunity for the state government to publish comprehensive records.
Reports published earlier this year stated that 98 beneficiaries constituted the second phase of the overseas postgraduate programme, with the government saying the scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, and living expenses. Igwe maintained that the government could easily settle the questions being raised by making the relevant documents publicly available.
Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii supports investments that develop Ebonyi's human capital but believes such programmes must operate under strict transparency and accountability. The PDP governorship campaign council's demand for disclosure is aimed at ensuring that public funds are used efficiently and effectively. The government has yet to respond to the PDP's demands.
Key points
- The PDP demands full disclosure of the beneficiaries and financial details of Ebonyi State's foreign scholarship programme.
- The programme aims to sponsor 1,000 beneficiaries, with 300 studying abroad and 700 locally.
- The 2026 Ebonyi budget provided N20 billion for scholarships, comprising N15 billion for foreign scholarships and N5 billion for local scholarships.
