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Nigerian students at Teesside University ordered to leave UK after currency crash

University informs Home Office and withdraws sponsorship from those struggling with fees after drop in value of naira

Nigerian students at a UK university say they are devastated after some were thrown off their course and ordered to leave the UK when they got behind on their fees because of a currency crash.

Teesside University withdrew students who missed their fee instalments and informed the Home Office, after some students’ savings were wiped out when the value of Nigeria’s naira crashed.

The students, some who say they have been contacted by debt collection agencies, protested outside the campus on Tuesday, accusing the university of being “heartless”.

The university said it had “no choice” as failure to pay was a breach of visa sponsorship rules. It said it had made every effort to help the affected students, including with bespoke payment plans.

The BBC said a group of 60 students asked the university for help after they defaulted on their fees when their savings were wiped out.

Adenike Ibrahim told the BBC she was close to handing in her dissertation when she was kicked off her course because she was unable to make a payment.

Despite having now paid her fees in full, she will have to leave the UK with her young son and cannot re-enrol.

“I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees and I went to all of my classes,” she told the broadcaster. “I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.”

Nigeria is facing a severe economic crisis after the value of its currency dropped sharply amid reforms introduced by the president, Bola Tinubu, who came into office a year ago, aimed at balancing its economy. It is experiencing nearly 30% inflation, with the price of some key goods, such as rice, more than doubling in less than a year.

Many Nigerians are sharing pictures and videos online showing them reducing portion sizes and eating food that would normally be fed to livestock, in order to get by.

A university spokesperson said: “Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its obligations regarding visa issuance and compliance. These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and is outside of the university’s control.”

The Home Office said a decision to offer or withdraw visa sponsorship rested with the sponsoring institution. It said when a visa was shortened or cancelled, individuals should “take steps to regularise their stay or make arrangements to leave the UK”.

In a letter, the Home Office told the students they did not have a right to appeal.

BY  Irina Anghel and Lucy White, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Net migration to the UK fell last year but remained at historically high levels, underlining the challenge facing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as tries to show he is cracking down on overseas arrivals ahead of the July 4 general election.

An estimated 685,000 more people moved to the UK than left the country, according to the Office for National Statistics. That’s down from a record 764,000 in 2022, a figure that was revised up by 19,000.

Polls show immigration is one of the top issues looming over the election, and Sunak has made reducing the figures a core promise to voters. Net migration is still far higher than levels before the pandemic. The Tories had promised to get migration down to the “tens of thousands” but abandoned the pledge in 2019 when it became clear it was not deliverable.

Under Sunak, the debate has widened from stopping boats carrying asylum seekers to limiting legal migration even as businesses warned of worsening labor shortages. Sunak faces pressure from the right wing of his party, as well as from Reform UK, which backs a net zero migration stance luring Brexit supporters.

The Labour Party, leading the ruling Conservatives by 20 points in opinion polls, is likely the one that will have to deal with the issue in six weeks time. Leader Keir Starmer has promised to implement a new post of border security commander to tackle Channel crossings.

“Net migration remained exceptionally high in 2023 but is set to fall, possibly quite sharply, in the year ahead,” said Marley Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and communities. “The reality is there are some tough choices on immigration which will need to be grappled with, whoever wins the upcoming election. Crude cuts could exacerbate staff shortages in health and care and imperil university finances.”

The debate over migration has pitted politicians against businesses and universities that rely on foreign workers and students. Many of the visas being granted are also for workers in public services such as health and social care, where staff shortages are acute.

The government has promised to tackle the issue by getting more British workers into work currently done by migrants. 

A promise to cut net migration to the “tens of thousands” was made by then-prime minister, David Cameron, in 2010 and maintained by the Tories for almost a decade — despite the fact the the figures remained well above that level throughout. Only in 2019, when Boris Johnson became Tory leader, did the party ditch the pledge. His successors, Liz Truss and now Sunak, have spoken of immigration being far too high but have shied away from putting a figure on what they think it should be. 

Since Brexit, most migrants arriving in the UK have come through humanitarian routes, such as those put in place for Ukranians, work visas, mainly for those with health and care jobs, and as students.

Net migration in the year to December was driven by the arrival of over a million non-European Union nationals, far outnumbering the 233,000 who left the country. In contrast, British and EU nationals brought down net migration down as more than 100,000 left on balance. 

Economists have warned that clamping down on migration risks depriving the UK of potential growth unless productivity dramatically improves. The recent increase in migration has boosted economic output and driven up tax revenues, helping Chancellor Jeremy Hunt deliver tax cuts. 

“The government may well have succeeded in putting immigration firmly on a downward path,” Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics at King’s College London, wrote in a blog post. “The price, however, is likely to be high, and paid both by taxpayers and those who use public services – that is, all of us.”

Getting immigration down will be a challenge. The office for National Statistics projects the number of people in the UK will grow by 6.6 million by 2036 – almost all from immigration. The growing population piles pressure on the government to ensure public services can meet the extra demand and there is sufficient housing.

Many Brexit voters hoped leaving the European Union would reduce net migration as freedom-of-movement rules ended. Instead the number of people arriving in the UK has accelerated due to labor shortages. Non-EU immigration for work-related reasons climbed by almost 150,000 to 423,000 in 2023, replacing study as the main reason for long-term migration. Almost half of those people came from India or Nigeria, most commonly in the health and care sector.

For the first time, those arriving as dependants from non-EU countries outnumbered main applicants on work visas. There were 14,000 more dependants than main applicants, at 219,000.

Sunak has made plans to bring down that number by banning most students and care workers from bringing relatives to the UK. He’s also raised the salary threshold required for skilled foreign workers to get a visa to £38,700 ($49,248) a year, although care workers are exempt from that.

Read more: New UK Migration Rules Risk Exploiting Care Workers, Panel Says

The new rules are already having an impact on UK businesses and universities. Earlier this month, CEOs including from Anglo American and Siemens wrote a letter to Sunak saying they were “deeply concerned” about shrinking international student numbers driven by government policy, and the impact this will have on the UK’s “skills base, future workforce, and international influence.”

Student main applications were down 15%, while dependant visa applications declined 80% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to Home Office data. Deposits paid by international students as part of their visa application for the September 2024 intake were down 57%, compared to the previous intake, separate figures from Enroly showed.

ONS migration numbers also indicated that non-EU nationals who came to the UK on study visas were increasingly leaving the country after they arrived in large numbers in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.

The government is mulling whether to scrap the graduate visa programme, which enables overseas student to live and work in the UK for a maximum of two years after graduation, as it faces pressure from many Tories to act.

The Migration Advisory Committee warned the government against ditching the graduate visa route, saying it found “no evidence” the scheme was abused as a backdoor entry.

The two-year period students can stay in the UK after finishing their degrees will remain in place after Lord Cameron and Jeremy Hunt made arguments to the prime minister.

BY  Jennifer Scott

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has bowed to pressure from some of his senior cabinet colleagues over proposed changes to the graduate visa scheme.

Reports had suggested he planned on either shortening or scrapping the two-year period students could stay in the country after completing their studies, as he faced increasing pressure from the right of his party to lower record-high legal migration.

However, Sky News understands the period will remain in place after appeals from Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Home Secretary James Cleverly, who are all said to have raised concerns on the impact on universities and the economy if the rules were changed.

There will be some additional measures announced by the government this week to coincide with the latest net migration figures being published, Sky News also understands.

They will include the tightening of restrictions on agents that market British degree courses overseas and subjecting some international students to mandatory English tests.

But Mr Sunak is still likely to face a backlash from former home secretary Suella Braverman, who today called for the whole graduate visa route to be scrapped, and ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who has called it "a backdoor for foreign students to do low-wage work".

A government source told Sky News the decision was "a sign of good government", showing each secretary of state had reviewed the impact of policy plans and communicated them to the leader.

The home secretary ordered an emergency review of the graduate visa route in March to look at whether it was being abused and "driven more by a desire for immigration".

However, in its report released last week, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) said it should remain in place as it was key to funding British universities and was "not undermining the quality and integrity" of higher education.

The government has announced a raft of new measures to try to curb legal migration since November, when the Office for National Statistics revealed net migration had hit 745,000 in 2022, including stopping students from bringing their dependents and increasing the salary someone has to earn to qualify for a visa.

BY  Olasunkanmi Akinlotan

An agency of the Federal Government, responsible for regulating aviation affairs, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, has said it will not hesitate to invoke relevant sections of the regulatory body against Turkish Airlines over the airline’s maltreatment of Nigerian passengers.

The regulatory body said this on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen in Lagos.

Over 300 travellers were stranded at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, following the airline’s failure to airlift them to Istanbul.

Aviation unions on Tuesday shut the airlines over allegations that its management sacked seven and was still planning on sacking more.

My boss colluded with external parties to rob our workplace, but i went to prison for it – Ex-inmate

By Abdullateef Aliyu

Turkish Airlines has explained why it sacked Nigerian staff in response to the ongoing picketing of the airline.

Days after the picketing by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the airline broke silence on Thursday, accusing the staff of engaging in ticket racketeering to the tune of $600,000 in 2023, thereby causing it serious financial losses within the period.

Daily Trust reports that the picketing of the operations of Turkish Airlines disrupted its operations with over 300 passengers of the airline stranded at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA).

The organised labour, had vowed to disrupt the operations of the airline for three days, starting from Tuesday, describing the sack of the staff as unjustified.

The airline in a statement by its Media Relations Department stated that the sacked workers, after going through disciplinary process, were found wanting of corrupt practices against the airline.

It stated that the leadership of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) may be taking sides with the sacked workers unjustly.

The airline regretted that despite the involvement of the union in the disciplinary committee, which indicted the seven workers and led to the advice to resign from its establishment, the unions refused to sign off on disciplinary action to the erring members of staff.

The airline explained that NUATE was invited and acted as a member of the disciplinary committee against the erring employees, where it was established, after the presentation of evidence detailing the employees’ wrongdoings, that they were liable for gross misconduct and ought to be dismissed.

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The statement hinted that after the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings, the airline gave the employees the option to resign voluntarily in which three out of the seven indicted staff complied with.

It however, said that four out of the seven staff who were indicted and had initially showed interest in resigning from the employment of the airline, later declined to do so.

According to the airline, the union despite the clear and evidence of wrongdoing against it by the sacked staff, still threatened to paralyse its operations in Nigeria by way of industrial action if the former employees were not reinstated.

The airline added: “Premised on the threat of industrial action issued by NUATE by notices dated February 28, 2024 and March 25, 2024, the airline instituted proceedings in Suit No.: NICN/LA/24/2024   Turkish Airlines Incorporated v The Registered Trustees of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), seeking to determine the legality of the union’s (threatened) actions, among other things.

“After the institution of this suit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) and after service had been effected on the union on February 9, 2024 and while motions for injunction were pending before the court, NUATE proceeded to execute their threats to picket.”

According to the airline, on March 26, 2024, NUATE members for two hours, barricaded its check-in stations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), thereby preventing its passengers from boarding to their various destinations.

The airline explained that it took the intervention of the airport authorities to prevent NUATE from causing a complete breakdown of law and order at the airport on the said day.

Besides, the airline emphasised that the action of the union prompted NICN to once again issue formal notices of injunction restraining NUATE and its affiliates from conducting any industrial action in such a way as to disrupt its business on April 30, 2024.

Turkish Airlines reiterated that since it commenced flight services to Lagos in 2006, it had continued to put the interest of its passengers and employees first.

It insisted that it had always encouraged its employees to participate in any union of their choice, while also seeking harmonious working relationship with all governmental and non-governmental bodies in the country.

Turkish Airlines however declared that it had no tolerance for illegal and wrongful actions and emphasised that it would take similar action against such practices in the future no matter who was involved.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has allowed the Turkish Airlines to commence moving stranded passengers to their various destinations.

LEADERSHIP reports that the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) had picketed the Airlines over allegations of high handedness and maltreatment of its workers, including unjustifiable dismissal and forced resignation of seven workers.

The measure however resulted in passengers being stranded at airports in  Lagos and  Istanbul, Turkey.

However, a press statement issued by the Vice Chairman, 

 Lagos State Council of the NLC, Olabisi Adebayo Idowu, said the intervention of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as well as the Nigerian Police Force and the Airport Command of the Department of State Services, made them stopped picketing the airlines.

Idowu premised the decision of the labour union from further picketing the Turkish Airlines on pure humanitarian ground.

“At the intervention of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as well as the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Services, Airports Command, the Congress has taken the decision to allow the passengers stranded at the 

 Lagos and Istanbul airports who were booked on the flights for 21/05/2024 to be airlifted by Turkish Airlines. This decision is purely on humanitarian grounds.

“The picketing exercise other than as allowed above shall remain firmly in place until all the demands of NLC are fully met,” Idowu said.

Meanwhile, the NCAA has also brokered peace between NUATE and the European carrier that will allow the airline move its Nigeria passengers who have been stranded at the International Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in 

 Lagos following the Union’s picketing of the airline on Tuesday.

Following the NCAA intervention, NUATE has temporarily agreed to shelve further interruption of Turkish Airlines operations in 

 Lagos and Abuja to allow the stranded inbound and outbound passengers to be carried from across the world.

The agreement was reached after a meeting with the representative of the Acting Director General of the NCAA, Mr. Michael Achimugu, who is also the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the agency.

Achimugu had on Wednesday evening after meeting with the Country Manager of Turkish Airlines in Nigeria, promised to meet with the union on Thursday to resolve the impasse.

The meeting had representatives of NUATE led by its General Secretary, Comrade Ochema Aba, the 

 Lagos Regional Manager of NCAA, Mrs Bukola Teriba, among others.

The Federal Government has said that the United Arab Emirates, UAE, visa ban on Nigerians has been resolved, and an announcement will be made soon.

Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, made this known on Wednesday in a statement released in response to criticism by Osita Chidoka, a former aviation minister.

Keyamo stressed that the announcement of the UAE lifting its visa ban on Nigerians is imminent.

Chidoka, Wednesday, had criticised the announcement of Emirates Airlines’ resumption in Nigeria’s aviation market.

He said the Federal Government must not allow Emirates Airlines to resume operations in Nigeria without being held accountable for their “disrespectful and demeaning conduct”.

However, Keyamo said resolving the diplomatic rift between the two countries is essential because several Nigerians visit the UAE and invest there.

Keyamo said, “Who will benefit more? How many Emiratis visit Nigeria as much as Nigerians visit the UAE and invest there?

“Have you bothered to ask about lifting the visa ban before issuing your warped statement? For your information, that has been resolved, too, and the announcement is imminent.”

DAILY POST recalls that the Federal Government had made several claims about the UAE lifting the visa ban on Nigerians, which turned out to be inaccurate.

On March 5, the presidency shared a document announcing that the restriction had been lifted. However, Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, clarified that the Nigerian and UAE governments did not authorise the document.

Similarly, on September 11, the Federal Government also claimed that the UAE had lifted its visa ban on Nigerians.

By Princess Etuk

The Federal Government has said that the Nigeria Air remains suspended.

During the ministerial press briefing in Abuja, marking President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo provided updates, confirming that the project remains suspended.

In 2023, the Ministry of Aviation, under Hadi Sirika, former minister, unveiled Nigeria Air three days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The development had elicited concerns among stakeholders nationwide over the ownership arrangement which gave Ethiopian Airlines a 49 per cent equity stake.

The Federal Government had a 5 per cent equity, while a consortium of three Nigerian investors had 46 per cent.

Reacting to the deal in June 2023, the House of Representatives asked the Federal Government to suspend the operations of Nigeria Air, describing it as a fraud.

Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, has described the controversial Nigeria Air unveiled by the Buhari-led administration as a fraud.

He said the project remains suspended.

He said that the ‘national carrier’ that was supposed to be an indigenous project and one that was supposed to bring hope for Nigerians, was flawed with a lot of secrecy and fraudulent activities.

Keyamo made the declaration on Nigeria Air while fielding questions from journalists during the second day of the Ministerial Sectorial update on Monday, May 27, in Abuja.

He said, “It was never Air Nigeria. It was Ethiopian trying to flag our flag and not Air Nigeria. That is the truth; it was not Nigeria.

“It only printed Air Nigeria. It was an Ethiopian airline trying to fly our flag. If it is so, why not allow our local people to fly our flag? Why bring a foreigner to fly our flag?

“So nobody should deceive you that it is Air Nigeria. Air Nigeria must be indigenous, wholly Nigeria or must be for the full benefit of Nigerians. Not that 60 percent of the profit is given to another country.

“How does that benefit us? It remains suspended. It remains so,” he said.

Speaking further on some of the steps taken so far to boost economic development in the aviation sector, Keyamo highlighted the commencement of cargo flights. He noted that it will enable Nigeria to tap into the $6 trillion global cargo market.

“We have agreed that we’re going to resume cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

“This has been suspended for a long time but now cargo flights are back. Guess what? Air cargo trade accounts for 35 percent of the world trade deficit.

By Princess Etuk

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the Federal government has commenced the construction of a second runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

He stated this on Monday in Abuja during the ministerial press briefing to mark President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office.

He emphasised that the project had been mired in controversy and delays since the Obasanjo administration.

“Since the Obasanjo era, it was controversy after controversy. Some efforts started during the last administration, so we have to acknowledge that.

“The necessity of a second runway has long been a critical issue for the nation’s capital. The danger of operating a nation’s capital with just one runway… Imagine foreign heads of state coming to Nigeria and there is a problem with the runway. Where are we going to divert them? Are we going to cancel the conference if they are coming for a conference?

“It is inconceivable that a nation’s capital would be operating on one runway and we have been doing it for many years,” he explained.

He disclosed that the contractors had moved to the site and the construction of the second runway had started.

Meanwhile, Keyamo said that in addition to those developments, the ministry would ensure strict compliance with safety regulations and the continuous upward movement of Nigeria’s rating by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

He added that a significant development in Nigeria’s aviation sector was the resumption of cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

“We have agreed that we are going to resume cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. This has been suspended for a long time,” he announced.

Highlighting the importance of air cargo trade globally, he noted, “Globally, air cargo trade accounts for 35 per cent of the world trade and, according to the International Air Transport Association, attracts about $6tn annually. We were missing within that sector.

“The resumption of these flights is seen as a first step in a broader strategy to enhance Nigeria’s participation in global air cargo trade.”

According to the minister, he will continue his interaction with various countries of the world that the country could benefit from in terms of resumption of cargo trade with them.