OCTOBER 09, 2022

No fewer than 200 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed by the government of the United Kingdom in just one month, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

Checks on the website of the General Medical Council, the body which licenses and maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the UK, showed that the GMC licensed at least 200 Nigerian-trained doctors between August 31, 2022, and September 30, 2022.

The statistics also showed that between January 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022, about 1,307 doctors trained in Nigeria were licensed in the UK as Nigeria continues to battle one of the worst situations of brain drain in its history.

Overall, 10,296 doctors who obtained their degrees in Nigeria currently practise in the UK. However, Nigerian doctors who got medical qualifications in schools outside the country are not included in the data.

The rate of migration of medical doctors has recently become a matter of concern. The Nigerian Medical Association, while lamenting the high rate of medical brain drain, had said Nigeria might import doctors in the future.

In 2015, only 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK. The number increased to 279 in 2016, while the figure was 475 in 2017. In 2018, the figure rose to 852 while it further increased to 1,347 in 2019.

In 2020, the figure was 833 despite the fact that the GMC closed operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The figure for 2021 was put at 932.

Currently, Nigeria has the third highest number of foreign doctors working in the UK after India and Pakistan.

The National President of the Medical and Dental Consultant Association of Nigeria, Dr Victor Makanjuola, while commenting on the situation, said, “In the last two years, over 500 consultants in estimation have left the services of government hospitals for practice abroad. All our government hospitals are consultant-led practices, which is the global standard. Now, we lose 500 in just two years and we have found out that those who are more likely to leave are younger ones.

“To sustain the system and be able to train the next generation of medical doctors and medical students, Nigeria needs to retain the older consultants who are in their 50s and getting close to their retirement so that they can stay back and train the next generation of doctors and medical students. Otherwise, the disaster from brain drain would be doubled because we will lose the younger ones and the older ones at about the same time, and you will find a system without consultants. This will affect the standard of care and the quality of care given by hospitals.”

Meanwhile, the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria has said that there is only one psychiatrist to 900,000 Nigerians in the country. According to the APN, the country has less than 300 psychiatrists attending to the Nigerian population approximated at 220 million.

Speaking with one of our correspondents, the President of APN, Prof Taiwo Obindo, said the recommendation of the World Health Organisation is one psychiatrist for the 10,000 population. He, however, said many psychiatrists were leaving Nigeria as a result of the brain drain in the profession.

Obindo said, “With less than 300 psychiatrists working in the country, the ratio of psychiatrists to the 220 million population will be about one to 900,000 population when the recommendation by WHO is one to 10,000. Some countries are even looking towards having one to 6,500 to 8,000.

The don said there was a need to train and retain more psychiatrists to stem the brain drain in the country.

He added, “I spoke with the president of psychiatrists in Canada and he said more than 150 Nigerian psychiatrists were known to them in Canada. In the United Kingdom, it’s likely to be more and then you have many more in the United States, working there. So, more trained psychiatrists are out of the country than those that are within the country. Well, we may add that a few died and a few retired but that number cannot account for the number we have on the ground.

OCTOBER 10, 2022

VANCOUVER — The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says September's home sales dropped by 46 per cent since last year and 10 per cent from August as interest rate increases cooled buyer sentiment.

The B.C. board says sales in the region totalled 1,687 last month, down from 3,149 the September before and 1,870 in August.

Last month’s sales were almost 36 per cent below the 10-year September sales average.

Andrew Lis, the board's director of economics and data analytics, attributed the lower sales levels to the Bank of Canada hiking interest and mortgage rates in an effort to tamp down on inflation.

Those hikes have contributed to the market's composite benchmark price reaching $1,155,300 last month, up 3.9 per cent from last September but down 2.1 per cent from August.

The number of homes currently listed for sale in the area is 9,971, an eight per cent increase compared with September 2021 and a roughly three per cent jump from August.

“With fewer homes selling and new listings continuing to come to market, inventory is beginning to accumulate, providing buyers with more selection compared to last year,” Lis said, in a news release.

“With more supply and less demand within this market cycle, residential home prices have edged down in the region over the last six months.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2022.

The Canadian Press

OCTOBER 10, 2022

He said that full digitisation would completely eliminate any form of contact between passport applicants and immigration officers.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the full digitisation of Nigerian passport processes would be completed by December. Mr Aregbesola disclosed this when he was featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

He said that full digitisation would completely eliminate any form of contact between passport applicants and immigration officers.

According to him, this will eliminate the inherent corruption in the system.

The minister said that the project was one of the priorities of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“We are on it, and by December we will remove any manual processing of passports.

“Now, we still have some manual parts, because files are still manually opened.

“By December, particularly in the busiest passport processing centres, there will be no manual segment of the passport processing, every part of it will be digitised,” he added.

According to him, there is no shortage of passport booklets in the country and advised applicants to begin the processing of their passports at least six months before the scheduled time of travel.

“If you need a passport now, start the process very early, do not begin the processing efforts two weeks to your travelling.

“If you don’t, already you have created problems for yourself, because the system, after capturing, which is enrolment of your data, we harmonise it with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database,” he said.

Aregbesola also urged passport applicants to ensure their names and other information tallies with their details on the National Identity database.

“Every identity document must be the same to ease capturing,” he said, adding that even wrong arrangements of names could create delays in the processing of passports.

“You must understand what it is. It is a presidential order that the new passport regime should be such that all data, everything about you as an individual must be the same and harmonised.

“What you have in the passport, which is the most secured identity document, must be the same with every other aspects of you, whether in the bank or at the national identity database.

“When you come to us to register, after filling your form online, you come for data capturing, and what you do there is to harmonise what you have filed in your form and your bio-data as we advance.

“So when your name doesn’t tally with what we have, your data information is not the same on the relevant platforms, we will have some challenges with passport processing,” he said.

Don’t patronise touts, corrupt NIS officials

Mr Aregbesola also urged Nigerians to stop patronising touts, scammers and unscrupulous immigration officials when applying for Nigerian passports.

He said this was necessary to stop corruption in the system.

He said Nigerians must resolve to send the touts, scammers and unscrupulous immigration officials out of business.

“An illegitimate business company had been created around passport.

“It requires commitment, dedication and participation of Nigerians in eliminating and getting rid of such illegitimate business,” he said.

The minister said that as long as Nigerians want a shortcut to passport processing, challenges would continue to occur in the issuance process.

According to him, those who patronise touts and unscrupulous passport officials are the ones mostly facing challenges with the process.

He, therefore, said passport applicants must follow due process and help to eliminate corruption and infuse integrity into passport administration.

“Please, shun any appeal to get the passport through a third party, tout or scammers, by, first of all, starting the process early.

“If I want to recommend, I will say begin, unless there is an emergency, begin the processing six months to either the expiration or renewal or getting a new one.

“If you start six months ahead, there will be no issue at all. And why is six months recommended by me? Because that is the minimum period that you can even process any visa,” he said.

Mr Aregbesola said that within the six months, no matter how reckless the human factor involved may be, there would be no anxiety.

The minister called on the media and the public to help in curbing the menace and encourage passport applicants to do the right thing at all times.

(NAN)

OCTOBER 10, 2022

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola says it is quite exciting that nationals of other countries are queuing up to become Nigerians.

“There is no continent in the world from where people have not applied to become Nigerians whether by naturalisation or registration,’’ the minister said on Sunday in Abuja.

He was fielding questions at the flagship interview programme of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), “NAN Forum’’

Aregbesola noted that the Federal Government granted 286 of such foreigners the Nigerian citizenship recently.

The Nigerian government granted citizenship to the 286 new nationals on Sept, 15.

The new Nigerian citizens are originally from the United States of America, Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and Africa.

Those of them who became Nigerian citizens through naturalisation were 208, while the 78 others got the Nigerian citizenship by registration.

Aregbesola urged Nigerians to understand that in spite of the current challenges, Nigeria has boundless opportunities for all.

“We only need determined, bold, courageous and enthusiastic people to harvest the untapped opportunities that are here.

“Foreigners know where the opportunities are and how to go for them; that is why they are doing everything to be part of us,’’ he added.

The minister said contrary to the wrong notion that Nigeria is a challenging environment, other people who understood their missions and wanted to actualise them, were becoming Nigerian citizens.

“The real issue is determination and commitment to self-actualisation. Those who know what they want to do find Nigeria very welcoming and supportive,’’ he emphasised.

Aregbesola said the Ministry of Interior had received more applications for Nigerian citizenship from foreigners.

“We receive applications from far and wide; there’s no single continent in the world without people desirous to be part of us.

“We are now processing passports of the 286 persons granted Nigerian citizenship in September.

“If you saw them; if you witnessed the enthusiasm of those people who have become part of us, you will be glad that there can be this number of foreigners desirous to be Nigerians,’’ Aregbesola said.

The minister explained that for a foreign national to even have the right to apply to become a Nigerian, the persons must have stayed in the country continuously for a minimum of 15 years.

“For those that were granted citizenship in September, it took less than three years to process their papers,’’ Aregbesola said.

OCTOBER 10, 2022

That required the basic manoeuvre of pushing the nose down instead of yanking it up as they did during much of the fatal four-minute plunge, creating even more error messages that fed off each other as the plane hurtled towards the Atlantic.

The BEA's report said the pilots responded inappropriately to the icing problem, but also did not have training needed to fly manually at high altitude after the autopilot dropped out.

It also singled out erratic readings of a cockpit display called the flight director, which has since been redesigned to switch itself off in such events to avoid distraction.

Neither company commented ahead of the trial, which runs until Dec. 8 at the Paris Criminal Court.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Government departments wasted over £4bn last year, with £8.6m squandered by the Home Office as it ditched burgundy passports when the colour was switched to blue.

The analysis of the accounts of Whitehall departments by the Labour party for the 2020-21 financial year shows that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy alone managed to write off more than £1.6bn of taxpayers’ money. This included £1bn in fraud and error from COVID grants alone.

The Department for Health and Social Care wasted just under £1.6bn while the Ministry of Justice wrote off £233m, including a £2m loss after HM Prison and Probation Service made a mistake when calculating how much should be charged for youth custody accommodation.

At the Home Office, on top of the passport blunder, another £800,000 was spent on plane tickets for migrant deportations that were never used due to legal challenges.

The burgundy design was replaced in March, following the UK's departure from the European Union.

Blue passports were introduced in 1921 and phased out after 1988 when members of the then European Economic Community agreed to harmonise designs.

Securing a change in the design became a rallying point for Brexit supporters, with the government announcing in December 2017 that the blue passport would return.

The Department of Education spent £3.2m designing the new building that would house the National College for Digital Skills, only to see the entire project scrapped and the taxpayers’ money lost.

Angela Rayner, Labour deputy leader, told both The Times and The Mirror — who first reported it — that Conservatives' economic policy is just “one colossal write-off”.

“This catalogue of waste and write-offs shows the cost of a Conservative government.

"They claim to be the party of fiscal prudence and sound money, but just can’t be trusted with Britain’s economy.

“The Tories’ economic policy is just one colossal write-off, leaving taxpayers paying through the nose for ministers’ mistakes.

OCTOBER 11, 2022

The websites for some major U.S. airports went down early Monday in an apparent coordinated denial-of-service attack, although officials said flights were not affected.

The attacks followed a call by a shadowy group of pro-Russian hackers that calls itself Killnet for coordinated denial-of-service attacks on the targets. The group published a target list on its Telegram channel.

“We noticed this morning that the external website was down, and our IT and security people are in the process of investigating,” said Andrew Gobeil, a spokesman for Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. “There has been no impact on operations.”

Portions of the public-facing side of the Los Angeles International Airport website were also disrupted, spokeswoman Victoria Spilabotte said. “No internal airport systems were compromised and there were no operational disruptions.”

Spilabotte said the airport notified the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration, and the airport’s information-technology team was working to restore all services and investigate the cause.

Several other airports reported problems connecting to their websites and appeared to be functioning very slowly, including Chicago's O'Hare International Airport website, which was included on Killnet's target list.

The Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement that websites for O’Hare and Midway Airport went offline early Monday but that no airport operations were affected.

Last week, a group of hackers claimed responsibility for cyberattacks against state government websites across the country.

The Associated Press

OCTOBER 11, 2022

By  Chris Agabi

As Nigerians await the takeoff of Nigeria Air, transaction records have shown that the minority shareholders after the federal government with 46 per cent stake are Nigerian firms comprising MRS (also in the energy industry), SAHCO (aviation handler) among other investors.

Ethiopian Airlines alone takes 49 per cent of the stakes making it the largest decision maker for the planned national airline. The Federal Government of Nigeria, however, retains 5 per cent.

“After a careful, detailed and ICRC governed selection process, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Consortium has been selected as preferred bidder, offering an owner consortium of 3 Nigerian investors MRS, SAHCO and other institutional investors (46 per cent), FGN owning 5 per cent and ET 49 per cent,” stated one of the transaction records.

Going by the presentation by the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, Nigeria Air may be delivered before 2022 comes to a close or by the first quarter of 2023. The minister has promised the national carrier will take to the skies before May 29, 2023 when the lifespan of this government will expire.

But before Nigeria Air comes alive, here are more details extracted from various transaction records for the airline which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project.

According to its expected operational plan, Nigeria Air will be launched with three Boeing 737-800 under a dry lease arrangement, starting in the first instance, with a shuttle service between Abuja and Lagos. Other domestic destinations will follow thereafter and perhaps regional and international flights.

According to the documents, the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) approved all the Outline Business Case (OBC) while the investors will develop a Full Business Case (FBC) for the ICRC and the Federal Executive Council to approve within six to eight weeks.

Already, Nigeria Air has been granted Air Transport License by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) but is expecting Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the NCAA. However, officials said it will fly without the AOC.

To commence the operations, a transaction note shows that all investors comprising Ethiopian Airline, the Nigerian investors and the minority holder – federal government, should be collectively staking $350 million (about N151.8 billion).

As its operations expand, the investors will grow the airline’s fleet to 30 aircraft and international operation could begin within two years.

It was also learnt that the first aircraft is ready to arrive in Abuja for the further work and NCAA inspection, demo flights and audit as part of the AOC requirements.

Already, Nigeria Air has an interim management team already working. The interim executive team has prepared, with the support of FAAN, the Terminal C at the Abuja Airport and finalized a contract with MMA 2 terminal in Lagos, for the operation of an initial shuttle between Lagos and Abuja.

It was also revealed that a signature-ready contract has been finalized with Ethiopian Airlines for three Boeing 737-800 with a 16 Business Class and 150 Economy Class configuration.

Nigeria Air Limited will work directly with ET to provide three B737, initial crews and engineers, while NAL is recruiting 737 rated experienced captains, first officers and cabin crew, as well as aircraft engineers. 

Nigeria Air considers China-made jet

Another development to note about the new national carrier according to a Reuters’ report is that Nigeria would consider buying China’s newly-certified C919 passenger jet as it grows the country’s fledgling carrier Nigeria Air to 30 planes by around 2025.

On Friday, China hailed the development of its first medium-haul passenger jet as the embodiment of the country’s drive towards self-sufficiency, with safety approval awarded to a plane that aims to challenge Western aircraft giants for orders.

“China and Nigeria have a very cordial and friendly relationship with mutual benefits,” Sirika said.

For decades, China has loaned billions of dollars to Africa to build railroads, power plants and highways as it deepened ties with the continent while extracting minerals and oil.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is the top importer of Chinese goods, hoovering up $23 billion worth in 2021.

Despite cloned portal, recruitment ongoing

Despite reporting a cloned recruitment portal this week, the management of the airline has revealed that over 20,000 applications have been made.

It first announced the recruitment of qualified crew members and other workers on September 23, calling on B737 captains, first officers, senior cabin crew and cabin crew, and engineers to apply for the job in Abuja or Lagos.

In an update through a statement by the special assistant to the aviation minister, James Odaudu, the national airline company said: “Management appreciates the unprecedented level of interest shown by Nigerians in the airline which has resulted in the receipt of over 20,000 applications for positions in the organisation so far, and wish to state that the recruitment process for other positions will begin in due course.”

It also warned about fake recruitment websites. “All those concerned are therefore advised to ignore such announcements or invitations, as responding to, or dealing with them in any way, will be at their own risk.”

For now, candidates should know that no recruitment interviews or tests have been scheduled.

“All such announcements or invitations for such should be disregarded as they are the handiwork of fraudsters and scammers,” NAL noted.

OCTOBER 11, 2022

• Migrants from Nigeria are bringing the highest number of relatives to the UK
• Nigerians accounted for 40% of dependants who accompanied foreign students 
• By comparison, 114,837 Chinese students brought with them 401 dependants 
• Home Secretary Suella Braverman is planning to cut net migration 

By JACK WRIGHT FOR MAILONLINE

Migrants from Nigeria may face a clampdown under Home Secretary Suella Braverman's plans to cut net migration as it emerged that citizens from the west African country are bringing the highest number of relatives to the UK. 

Nigerians accounted for 40% of all dependants who accompanied foreign students in the 12 months to June - despite Nigerian students making up just 7% of all foreign students in that period, according to Home Office figures.

Some 34,000 Nigerians were given study visas in the UK, bringing with them a total of 31,898 dependants. A similar ratio was recorded for work visas, with 8,972 Nigerians issued with one in the 12 months to June bringing with them 8,576 dependants.

By comparison, 114,837 Chinese students who came to the UK last year brought with them a total of 401 dependants - while 93,049 Indian students came to Britain with  24,916 dependants, the figures show. 

Some 34,000 Nigerians were given study visas in the UK, bringing with them a total of 31,898 dependants. By comparison, 114,837 Chinese students who came to the UK last year brought with them 401 dependants - while 93,049 Indian students came with 24,916 dependants+3

Miss Braverman and Cabinet Office minister Nadhim Zahawi are considering imposing a cap on the number of children that foreign students can bring in a bid to cut unskilled migration.

However, the Home Secretary's moves appear to have split the Cabinet and seem to be at odds with public opinion - with a survey carried out by Ipsos Mori finding that only 29% of Conservative voters support a reduction in student immigration.

The polling also found that the public remains divided over the Government's controversial policy to send migrants to Rwanda, with 21% strongly opposed and 21% strongly supportive. 

Dependants can work without the same level of criteria that other migrants must meet. 

In August it emerged that Nigerian students have become the third largest foreign student group in the UK, following in the footsteps of India and China - after a seismic 686% increase since before the pandemic.

Home Office figures reveal 65,929 Nigerian nationals were granted a sponsored study visa in the year ending June 2022 - a rise of 57,545 (686% ) compared to 2019, when 8,384 were given.

+3 View gallery

Home Office figures reveal 65,929 Nigerian nationals were granted a sponsored study visa in the year ending to June 2022. This is a rise of 57,545 (686%) compared to 2019

Overall, international student numbers have risen by 71% over that period, with 486,868 student visas granted to main applicants and their dependents in the year up to June - 202,147 more than 2019.

A Home Office spokesman said: '[This] is the highest on record in our time series, with the substantial increase representing both a recovery from lower numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic but also an increase on the pre-pandemic period.'

There were 117,965 grants to Indian nationals this year, an increase of 215% compared to 2019. 

Chinese nationals were the second most common nationality with 115,056 visas granted, albeit 4% lower than 2019.

Non-Russell group universities now make up 56% of all CAS used in study visa applications. This is the highest proportion of Non-Russell group CAS seen since the Sponsorship time series began in 2010.

The head of student processing group Ucas has said more students from Nigeria, Ghana and Vietnam should be recruited, amid a row about international admissions - with accusations that some universities are seeking to benefit from the higher fees overseas students pay.

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Migrants from Nigeria to the United Kingdom (UK) may face restrictions following the country’s plans to cut net migration.

According to Home Office figures, Nigerians accounted for the highest increase in the number of dependants accompanying persons with study visas for the year ending in June 2022.

“In the year ending June 2022, there were 486,868 Sponsored study visas granted (to both main applicants and their dependants), 71% (202,147) more than 2019,” the report reads.

“The number of Sponsored study visas granted in the year ending June 2022, is the highest on record in our time series, with the substantial increase representing both a recovery from lower numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic but also an increase on the pre-pandemic period.

“There were 117,965 grants to Indian nationals in the year ending June 2022, an increase of 80,569 (+215%) compared to 2019. Chinese nationals were the second most common nationality granted Sponsored study visas in the year ending June 2022, with 115,056 visas granted, 4% lower than the number seen in 2019 (119,825).

“In the other top 5 nationalities, Nigerian nationals saw the largest relative increase in Sponsored Study grants compared with 2019, increasing by 57,545 (+686%) to a record high of 65,929, making them the third largest nationality group in the latest year.”

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes Vis_D02/www.gov.uk

According to Daily Mail, the country represented 40 percent of the total number of dependants between June 2021 and June 2022, and “some 34,000 Nigerians were given study visas in the UK, bringing with them a total of 31,898 dependants”.

“This is the highest on record in our time series, with the substantial increase representing both a recovery from lower numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic but also an increase on the pre-pandemic period,” a home office spokesman told Daily Mail.

The UK home secretary and Nadhim Zahawi, minister for intergovernmental relations and minister for equalities, are also reportedly considering limiting the number of children that can come with international students as part of efforts to reduce the number of unskilled migrants.

For work visas, Nigeria recorded the second highest figure on the list of nationalities who got approval for the latest year.

Meanwhile, Suella Braverman, the UK home secretary, had earlier announced her “aspirations” to cut the overall migration figure amid a growing clamour from party activists for the government to take control of immigration levels.

She had also said she would change the law to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.