‘95% of Nigerian Students Miss Global Scholarships’

A growing gap between academic talent and access to opportunity is shutting thousands of high-performing Nigerian graduates out of global education pathways, the i-Scholar Initiative has warned.

President of the initiative, Victor Ogunmola, gave this warning at the organisation’s Board of Trustees reception in Lagos.

He noted that since its founding in 2019, iSI has received over 15,000 applications for scholarships, of which more than 10,000 met global admission standards, yet only 455 candidates (about five per cent) have been supported so far due to financial and mentoring constraints.

He noted that, in 2025 alone, over 4,000 applications contested for 100 available slots.

“Out of these qualified candidates, we have only been able to support 455,” Ogunmola said.

“This is not because they are not good enough, but because we are constrained by funding and the number of mentors available.”

I-scholar Initiative was founded in 2019 to mentor and empower young African students in fulfilling their dreams to pursue graduate studies via access to fully funded scholarships in world-class foreign universities by leveraging the networks of partnering members.

Ogunmola highlighted the urgent need for investment in education, stressing that while Nigeria produces thousands of intelligent youths annually, most lack an enabling environment and global opportunities to nurture their potential.

Ogunmola described the situation as a national dilemma: a surplus of capable minds constrained by limited opportunity pipelines.

Ogunmola traced iSI’s origins to his own near-miss with a scholarship years ago due to financial limitations.

He also emphasised that structural barriers remain, including underfunded universities, outdated curricula, and limited access to modern research tools.

“Talent is universal; opportunity is not,” he said.

He also warned that poor infrastructure, economic pressure, and the lure of quick money are eroding long-term academic ambition among young Nigerians.

Describing the challenges confronting Nigerian students, Ogunmola asked, “You are asking a fish taken out of water to compete with a monkey in climbing trees,” Ogunmola said, highlighting the disparity between Nigerian students and their global peers.

“Imagine a chemistry student who cannot even find a common reagent to work with in the laboratory. He or she does not understand the practical concept of a simple chemical equation.

“How do we explain the case of a computer science student who does not have a personal computer?”

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Ogunmola, however, urged Nigerians to move beyond complaints and take meaningful action to develop the country.

“In the next five to 10 years, we want to see a nation where 90 per cent of those making decisions on our behalf are not only passionate and kind, but also possess the needed expertise and requisite skills to lead effectively and deliver results for the majority,” he said.

Vice President, Global Services at Amazon Web Services and iSI trustee, Uwem Ukpong, stressed that the challenge Nigerian students faced was access, not ability.

Ukpong said, “Many candidates fail to secure scholarships not for lack of merit, but because they cannot afford standardised tests, application fees, or basic infrastructure such as electricity and internet.

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“Supporting a student through exams like the GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL often costs less than $1,000, yet this remains out of reach for many high-performing graduates.”

He also argued that global exposure would benefit Nigeria, noting the country’s estimated $20 billion annual diaspora remittances and the potential for this figure to double if more Nigerians gain international skills and networks.

Chair of the Board of Trustees, Tolu Ewherido, countered concerns about brain drain, noting that many scholarship beneficiaries are already reinvesting in Nigeria by mentoring new applicants, supporting siblings through local universities, and contributing to sectors ranging from medical research to technology. Several alumni now serve as mentors and managers within iSI.

Independent Non-Executive Director at Ecobank Nigeria, Titilayo Ogunjobi, said iSI’s end-to-end mentoring model has helped scholars navigate cultural adjustment and academic pressures abroad, reducing dropouts. She stressed that the initiative’s main limitation remains scale, not quality, as at least half of applicants meet global admission standards.