Department Overview
The Federal Scholarship Board (Scholarship Award Department) is a Department of the Federal Ministry of Education headed by a Director, as the Secretary of the Board. It has no Governing Board, contrary to the name/nomenclature.
The Scholarship Award Department is located at the Federal Ministry of Education Annex, Plot 245 Samuel Ademulegun Street, Opposite Arewa Suites, Central Business District, Abuja. For the purpose of decentralisation, the Board has offices in each of the six geopolitical zones for administrative convenience and effectiveness: Minna for North Central, Gusau for North West, Bauchi for North East, Akure for South West, Enugu for South East, and Port Harcourt for South South.
Our Vision
Making education accessible to brilliant but indigent Nigerian students.
Our Mission
To reward academic excellence, using education as a tool for fostering the human and physical development of the nation.
Mandate
- Policy Formulation: preparation of periodic master plans for a balanced and efficient utilisation of foreign and local scholarship and fellowship awards to deserving Nigerian undergraduate and postgraduate students, sometimes involving consultation with State Governments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other relevant agencies and bodies
- Implementation of Federal Government policy and programmes of foreign and local scholarship awards to deserving Nigerian scholars
- Implementation of Federal Government commitments to Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) and Multi-Lateral (Commonwealth) Agreements on Scholarship and Fellowship awards to Nigeria
- Implementation of the Presidential Special Scholarship for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) and the NYSC Ex-Corps Scholarship
- Collection, collation, analysis, publishing and dissemination of data and other information on student matters, and Scholarship and Fellowship awards in relation to Nigeria
- Supervision and monitoring of the activities of Federal Government Scholars in tertiary institutions locally and abroad
- Advising and coordinating States Scholarship Policies and Programmes through Annual Coordinating Committee Meetings of Secretaries of Federal and State Scholarship Boards
Core Functions
- To make higher education more accessible to less privileged but brilliant students who could not otherwise afford it
- To reward excellence, and to promote and encourage academic performance
- To augment formal education and development for middle and higher level manpower needs
- To promote attainment of national educational goals
- To improve access to quality education and promote retention in schools
Leadership
DIRECTOR
Khadijat Liman Ahmed
Mrs. Khadijat Liman Ahmed currently serves as Director, Federal Scholarships (Department of Scholarship Awards) in the Federal Ministry of Education. In this capacity, she oversees the administration of Federal Government scholarship programmes, including Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarships, Nigerian Awards, Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship programmes, and related scholarship initiatives. The department also coordinates scholarship policy implementation, monitoring of beneficiaries, and liaison with State Scholarship Boards.
Organizational Structure
Divisions: Foreign Awards Division
Branches:
- Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA)
- Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP).
Key Functions:
- The BEA branch implements scholarship offers arising from Bilateral Education Agreements between the Federal Government of Nigeria and other countries, including Russia, Algeria, China, Egypt, Morocco, Serbia, Hungary, Mexico, Venezuela and Romania.
- Advertises and conducts nomination exercises through an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary of Education.
- The CSFP branch carries out screening exercises to nominate qualified candidates, using guidelines from the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, for Nigerian students with a minimum of second class upper division to pursue Master’s and PhD programmes in the United Kingdom under full Commonwealth sponsorship.
Divisions: National Awards Division
Branches:
- Nigeria Scholarship Award (NSA)
- Education Bursary Award, Vocational Award (Medicine, Dentistry, Surgery, Nursing and Physiotherapy)
- General Duties Division (PRESSID and NYSC Ex-Corps).
Key Functions:
- The NSA branch handles scholarship awards to intelligent but indigent Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions, across postgraduate, undergraduate and HND programmes, including the Sustainable Development Goal Girl Child Scholarship for female students across all 774 Local Government Areas.
- The Education Bursary branch administers bursary payments to Nigerian students studying Education in Nigerian universities and Colleges of Education, re-introduced by the Federal Government following the President’s announcement at World Teachers Day, 5 October 2020.
- The Vocational branch handles scholarship awards for students in Medicine, Dentistry, Surgery, Nursing and Physiotherapy across universities and polytechnics.
- The General Duties Division handles all administrative matters for the Board, plans the Coordinating Committee Meetings of State Scholarship Boards, and monitors the Presidential Special Award for distinguished NYSC members.
Divisions: Supporting Units
Branches:
Key Functions:
- Accounts Unit, handles financial matters and processes allowance payments to scholars;
- Store Unit, custody and management of Board materials and equipment;
- ICT Unit, manages the scholarship portal, email services, and technical support across all divisions.
- Director
- Assistant Director
- Assistant Chief Education Officer
- Two (2) Principal Education Officers
- Senior Clerical Officer
Key Services
- Management of national scholarship programmes for Nigerian students in Federal and State tertiary institutions across the country
- Management of international scholarship programmes, including scholarships under Bilateral Education Agreements and Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship programmes
- Implementation of government scholarship policies, ensuring federal scholarship schemes are administered according to national policy
- Coordination of special scholarship schemes, such as the Presidential Special Scholarship for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) and the NYSC Ex-Corps Scholarship
- Monitoring and supervision of scholarship beneficiaries, both within Nigeria and abroad, to ensure compliance with scholarship conditions
- Collection and publication of scholarship data, including information on scholarship and fellowship awards for planning and policy purposes
- Advisory and coordination services for state scholarship boards, helping to align scholarship policies and programmes across Nigeria
- Online scholarship application and management, allowing applicants to browse opportunities, submit applications, track their status, and receive awards through the Ministry’s scholarship portal
Key Programmes/Projects
- Conduct and implementation of fresh scholarships for Nigerians to study in countries with a Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) with Nigeria
- Conduct and implementation of fresh scholarships for Nigerian students studying in Federal and State public tertiary institutions across the country
- Conduct and implementation of fresh scholarships for Nigerians studying Education courses in universities and Colleges of Education across the country
- Servicing and verification of ongoing scholars under the Nigerian Scholarship Award
- Servicing and verification of ongoing scholars under the Education Bursary Award
- Servicing and verification of ongoing Bilateral Education Agreement scholars in all BEA countries
- Implementation of Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship activities, including reciprocal Commonwealth awards to African countries and collaboration with other Commonwealth countries
- Conduct of the Coordinating Committee Meeting of States Scholarship Boards
Achievements
- The Federal Government, in collaboration with Bilateral Education Agreement countries, has awarded 2,369 scholarships to eligible and qualified Nigerians to study in BEA countries (Russia, Algeria, China, Egypt, Morocco, Serbia, Hungary and Venezuela)
- The Nigerian Scholarship Award has successfully awarded 15,717 scholarships to eligible and qualified Nigerian students studying in public universities, Colleges of Education and polytechnics across the country
- The Education Bursary Award has successfully awarded 15,140 scholarships to eligible and qualified Nigerian students studying Education in public universities and Colleges of Education across the country
- The Commonwealth Scholarship has successfully awarded 164 scholarships to eligible and qualified Nigerians
- The Board has processed and issued award letters to PRESSID NYSC Ex-Corps nominees who submitted their admission letters and supporting documents, for Master’s or PhD study at any Nigerian university, with payment ongoing
- An upward review of award amounts across various scholarship categories by the Federal Government
- An increase in access to education for brilliant and indigent students
- Announcement of a major scholarship programme reform by the Honourable Minister of Education, Prof. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, increasing scholarship amounts by 50% across all levels and introducing new Nigeria Award categories supporting polytechnic and STEM students, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda (April 2026)
Director's Additional Profile Information:
- Professional Memberships: Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, Counselling Association of Nigeria
- Honors: Ambassador for Peace, Universal Peace Federation; Lolo Ifeadikanwanne of Nanka Town
- Core Competencies: Policy formulation, strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement, quality assurance
Images & Media
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Contact Information
Main Office: Federal Scholarship Board Department, Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Secretariat, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja, Nigeria, P.M.B 146, Garki.
- Email: fsb@education.gov.ng
