Travel News

By Gift Habib

The Federal Government has stepped in to address the recent deportation orders issued against some Nigerian students at Teesside University in the United Kingdom.

A delegation led by a representative of the Nigerian Embassy in the UK, Ambassador Christian Okeke, along with leaders of the Nigerian Students Union in the UK, will meet with the university’s management to seek a resolution.

This decision follows a virtual meeting chaired by the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and attended by Okeke, the President of the Nigerian Students Union UK, Yemi Soile, and several affected students.

The NiDCOM spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, confirmed the planned intervention in a statement on Wednesday.

by Femi Akinyemi

A Federal Government delegation will meet with officials of Teesside University in the United Kingdom to address the alleged “unjust deportation order” issued to some Nigerian students in the middle of their studies at the institution.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) announced this in a statement on Wednesday.

It would be recalled that on May 22, some students from Nigeria staged a protest following the directives of the university authorities that they leave the UK on the allegation that some of them defaulted in the payment of their school fees.

NIDCOM boss, Abike Dabiri-Eruwa subsequently met with some of the affected students virtually last Sunday and it was agreed that a Representative of the Nigerian High Commission in the UK, Amb Christian Okeke, will lead a delegation to meet with the university’s management to seek an amicable resolution to the issue.

The NIDCOM boss appealed to the students to remain calm and not take laws into their own hands while appealing to the university to treat them with fairness.

BERLIN -- Germany saw another big increase in the number of people gaining citizenship last year as large numbers of people from Syria helped push naturalizations up to their highest level since at least 2000, according to official data released Tuesday.

About 200,100 people were granted German citizenship in 2023, the Federal Statistical Office said. That was an increase of about 31,000, or 19%, compared with the previous year.

The increase followed a 28% rise in 2022, which also was fueled by large numbers of Syrians being naturalized as increasing numbers of people who migrated to Germany between 2014 and 2016 fulfilled the requirements for citizenship.

Last year, 75,500 people from Syria were naturalized — the biggest single group, accounting for 38% of the total — the statistics office said. That number was up 56% compared with 2022. They had spent an average 6.8 years in Germany before becoming citizens.

About 10,700 citizens each of Turkey and Iraq became German citizens last year, putting those groups in second place.

The overall number of new citizens was the highest since current records started in 2000 following a change in the law under which people of German ancestry from the former Soviet Union, who arrived in large numbers in the 1990s, were automatically granted citizenship rather than having to apply for it.

Requirements for being granted citizenship include a working knowledge of German and proof of being able to support oneself financially.

Under the law as it was last year, people were in principle required to have lived in Germany for at least eight years, though that didn't apply to spouses and children. The period could be reduced to six years for people who show “special integration accomplishments” such as very good knowledge of the language, professional achievements or civic engagement.

Those rules are being eased under new legislation that will take effect on June 27. People will be eligible for citizenship after five years in Germany, or three in case of “special integration accomplishments." German-born children will automatically become citizens if one parent has been a legal resident for five years, down from eight years now.

Restrictions on holding dual citizenship will also be dropped. In principle, most people from countries other than European Union members and Switzerland have had to give up their previous nationality when they gained German citizenship, though there were some exemptions.

Germany has about 84 million inhabitants.

Shikhar Gupta, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Airlines that use in-flight meals provided by SATS Ltd., a Singapore-based airport services company, may start serving passengers more food that has been previously frozen. 

This comes after consumers “couldn’t tell the difference” between meals that had been frozen and food prepared using existing methods, SATS said during a results briefing Thursday. 

Indeed, “technological advancements now allow us to create frozen meals that taste just as good as freshly cooked ones.”

Called “fresh frozen food,” the preparation of these meals differs from existing “cook-chill” methods where food is cooked about 24 hours before serving and blast chilled. New processes and technologies have enabled SATS to serve in-flight food that was frozen well before the current 24-hour window.

The improvement in frozen-food technology means that SATS, which counts Singapore Airlines Ltd. as one of its biggest clients, will be able to provide in-flight meals to faraway carriers without needing to set up fully fledged kitchens at the airports they fly from, the company said.

Airline customers of SATS conducted a blind tasting test in the second half of 2023, said President and CEO Kerry Mok, without identifying the companies.

(Updates to provide additional context.)

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, yesterday held a meeting with a high-level delegation from Turkish Airlines, insisting that the airline must consistently respect Nigerian passengers. The delegation, led by the airline’s Vice President in Charge of Africa, Hilemet Mesut Turkseven, also included General Manager, Lagos, Lokman Balkan, General Manager, Abuja, Akin Carleal, and the Turkish Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Imdat Karakoc.

During the meeting, the minister addressed concerns about reported instances of disrespect during flight operations, underscoring the importance of maintaining high standards of customer service and dignity for all passengers. The minister flayed the airline’s communication strategy during the union actions, attributing the issues to the attitude of the country manager. He said: “I had to advise your authorities to issue a press statement to calm troubled nerves.”

Keyamo also put forward three key demands to the Turkish Airlines team on aircraft upgrades, requesting an upgrade to the aircrafts used for flights to Nigeria. He further addressed the problem of transit visas causing Nigerians to be stranded in Istanbul, seeking a resolution and support for local caterers. He advised the airline to support local caterers by serving Nigerian cuisine on return journeys. Keyamo, however assured the delegation that there would be no further disruptions to their flight operations, given that the matter is currently before an industrial court.

Deputy Chief of Mission,  Karakoc, assured the minister that he would discuss the issues with the Turkish authorities back home and promised necessary adjustments. He committed to improving the quality of aircrafts used,  stating that the current aircrafts are not specifically directed against Nigeria. “This meeting signifies a positive step towards strengthening the relationship between Turkish Airlines and the Nigerian aviation sector, ensuring better service and mutual respect for all passengers.

“The Turkish Airlines delegation conveyed the regards of their CEO, Bilal Eksi, to the Honourable Minister, expressing gratitude for his intervention during the recent union actions that had disrupted their operations,” a statement said. Vice President Turkseven thanked the minister for his support and reiterated the airline’s commitment to Nigeria, highlighting their 18 years of service since commencing operations in 2006.

He praised Nigerians for their unwavering support and emphasised Turkish Airlines’ dedication to cooperating with the Nigerian government and its agencies to foster further growth in the country.

BY  Reed Landberg, Bloomberg News

, Moneyfacts

(Bloomberg) -- UK house prices rose for the first time in three months, a sign that the market is stabilizing in the face of high borrowing costs, one of the biggest mortgage lenders said.

The average cost of a home rose 0.4% in May after an drop of the same size the month before, Nationwide Building Society said Friday. That was bigger than the 0.2% gain economists had expected and the strongest reading since February, the last time prices rose.

In a separate release, the Bank of England said mortgage approvals – an indicator of future housing market activity – were little changed in April. Bank and building societies authorized 61,140 home loans, broadly in line with market forecasts and above the average of the previous six months. 

The housing market slumped last year after the BOE lifted interest rates to the highest level in 16 years in its bid to curtail inflation, adding to the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. Now, with falling inflation boosting living standards and rate cuts in sight, buyers are cautiously returning to the market.

“The market appears to be showing signs of resilience in the face of ongoing affordability pressures following the rise in longer term interest rates in recent months,” Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said in a statement Friday. “Consumer confidence has improved noticeably over the last few months, supported by solid wage gains and lower inflation.”

With house prices just off record levels, the plight facing “generation rent” is set to feature at a general election campaign now underway. The opposition Labour Party appears on track to take office with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives government trailing in polls.

What Bloomberg Economics Says...

“The housing market is showing signs of resilience despite affordability issues limiting household buying power. While the recovery is likely to be bumpy, we expect activity to pick up further once the general election is over and the Bank of England starts cutting interest rates from August.

—Niraj Shah, economist. Click for the REACT

Mortgage rates surged in 2023 as the BOE battled to bring down inflation. Those rates have eased since and expectations are that the BOE will reduce its benchmark lending rate later this year. However, property analysts said there is little prospect of a resurgence in house prices.

“House prices do not feel poised to rally, despite a seasonal increase in demand,” said Tom Bill, head of residential research at Knight Frank. “High supply is keeping a lid on prices and stubborn services inflation means swap rates are rising and mortgages starting with a ‘3’ feel some way off.”

Houses for sale in Britain hit an eight-year high in May a sign sellers are regaining confidence, according to property portal Zoopla. However, buyers are treading carefully. Almost a third of homes currently available for sale were also listed for sale in 2023 but failed to find a buyer. 

Nationwide, the first of the major housing market indicators for the month, said prices are now about 1.3% higher than a year ago. The average cost of a home was £264,249 ($336,010) in May, which is about 3.5% below the peak recorded in August 2022.

In a sign of cautious sentiment, the BOE said consumers borrowed just £730 million on credit cards and other unsecured loans in April. That was the lowest since 2021 and half the £1.4 billion economists were forecasting. It came in a month that saw a sharp fall in retail sales as rainy weather kept people out of the shops.

(Adds BOE mortgage approvals and consumer credit figures)