₦airaland Forum

Zahra29:
It's not "negative" media coverage - they are highlighting facts based on their data, and discussing actions they plan to take to stop a rising trend. The issue they've flagged is that these IP (asylum) claimants are coming from "liveable" Britain and not from "unliveable" Nigeria. What merit do you think these cases will have? It's pretty much the same scenario as the boat crossers coming to Britain from Europe - how are the boat crossers regarded on this thread and outside? Do people not look down on them and question why they didn't remain in safe/liveable Europe?

I'm not sure it's wise to compare Nigerians to Albanians - the latter have an extremely poor image and as quickly as they were trooping to European nations en masse, the European nations were returning them back to Albania in the same numbers, the UK even making a "special" deal with the Albanian government to stop their citizens from coming to the UK. Look up the acceptance rate for Albanians versus Iranians for example.

You're trying to be clever by half. International laws and treaties covering assylum claims are clearly spelt out.

1. Coming through a safe country is not a ground for refusal. If not landlocked or Island nations as the UK would be able to extricate themselves from international obligations for the most part. Or all assylum claims for those arriving on boats thru France would be dead on arrival as France is a safe country.

2. I do not look down on those arriving by boats both in a personal or professional capacity and certainly do not get the vibe that folks here do. On a person note, I see many as hapless folks fleeing unlivable conditions in their home nations some of which were a result of misdemeanours by western states. In my professional capacity I have interacted with a number and treated thrm just like I would any other person infact I put in more time and effort with them as they are a largely vulnerable group. Any colleague who does differently should rightly be made to answer to their regulator.

3. Perception hedged on certain narratives mean little to me. I dont think the perception of Albanians a racist mind is very much different from any black or brown person.

To put succinctly, those who are claiming assylum in Ireland have not commited a crime. Let the Irish justice system deal with the claims and decide what's mertiable or not. Also, what they are doing is of little business to me.
P.s this is not advocating folks to claim or not claim asylum.

Lexusgs430:
This is not new ...... In my trust a couple of years ago, an agency worker attended a shift, as an RMN..... His knowledge of medications was NIL, he did not even understand the concept of vital signs/readings...... He was escorted off site, by the police........

Another Agency RGN turned up at an East Kent trust, she already dosed laxatives through a syringe, and was about to give via a patient's cannula......

It's always easier to exploit the agency route.......

Interesting. Recently, an undercover reporter was able to work in a prison via an agency with little or no background check. When something becomes routine, people wrongly let their guards down.

I'm looking to open a trading212 isa this year. Could you share ur ref link? Know u posted it a while back but can't find it.

ehizario2012:
Nigerians, we are a very special set of people. Our ways ehn... May God continue to help us.

I wonder why any negative media coverage mentioning Nigeria is another avenue to denigrate ourselves. As recent as last year, Albanians (a European nation) were trooping to the UK en masse. Would we also call them 'special'?
Significantly more Indians claim assylum in the UK than Nigerians (even adjusted for population) - does that make them them more 'special'.

Nigeria is unlivable for many. Let the countries they are claiming assylum to decide the cases on their merit not we using it an an avenue to look down on yourselves. Migration is as old as man. Most of the developing world opened their doors (voluntarily or involuntarily) to the western world at different times. I don't see westerners going around apologising for that.
We should have some self worth.

aguluobi:
The man was explicit in his question, give me a school Peter Obi built from scratch n commissioned. Till this hour no one answered that question.

Investment in education is not all about building new schools 'from scratch'. Equipping and expanding current infrastructure is of more importance.

New schools should be built only when and where needed. It's also important to understand the local demography as most communities have large orthodox churches who have schools that wre almost public in nature. These were also equipped.

All I see are here little mind, making noise in support of racism of the royal family against a black lady and calling out a chap with a mind of his own. How many of you would stand for what you believe same way Harry has done?
If you all had such spine perhaps politicians would not be raping Nigeria dry why you lots sleep in religious houses hoping for a better tomorrow.

Like I tell pseudo alpha males on nairaland. Aplha starts with achieving and not scrapping the bottom and black ladies to feel good.

MelaninGemstone:
At what point please? I have a Nigerian passport, I don’t think there were scanners in Heathrow for Nigerian passports

All I remember scanning was my boarding pass to access the departure gates

I don't think the UK routinely stamps folks out on exit. I know I had encountered this when applying for ILR. I could see in and out stamp for Nigeria and some other places but not the UK. Dont have my passport closeby to confirm but I wouldn't be worried about this.

BTW, where is @justwise?
He hasn't posted in a while. Hope safe

Zahra29:
Once again, I'm not arguing for tuition to be free in England like it is in Scotland. It was never "free" in England. See also Peerielass's comment on why free tuition is not all that.

No need going back and forth. Economic realities (and this) are not about what I want but actual facts. Just like ending nursing bursaries increased students numbers, here also, certain realities hold true;

1. Income from international students formed an increasingly important part of uni funding also helped to subsidise fees paid by local students.

2. Recent imigration changes has caused a good dip in that income stream.

3. Some unis either have to significantly cut down/lay off staff or look to other sources of funding- mainly govt or local tuition

4. Government increasing core funding has to come from somewhere.

Peerielass:
SNP’s Free tuition in Scotland is not all that’s cracked up to be. Places are very limited for Scottish students in highly sought after Universities and courses. The Universities would rather offer places to fee paying ROUK students and international students.

Best thing is to scrap the free tuition fees so everyone can be on a level playing field.

Hehe... e no go happen as people like free stuff. Another is rental controls in Scotland. It would be interesting to see how that eventually pans out. The issue is that the largesse is difficult to maintain or the opportunity costs are huge.

Reason why I'm sceptical about many Labour supporters. They believe in most things being free without really piecing out the immediate and longterm effects. Like someone said, its quite similar to Buhari of 2015.

Raalsalghul:
I was beginning to think Immigration (Legal and Illegal) was all they could flex their muscles on and naturally wondered if they had plans for other sectors of the economy: can't remember when last I read or saw a major immigration news until the whole thing on sick notes and public benefits.
...

Hehe... problems in health, to housing to education to infrastructure were blammed on immigrants. Even person wey no fit give em wife belle go clam ' but dem immigrants'. You see folks moaning on how they cant survive on certain jobs but them no send say immigrants on same jobs will pay visa fees, ihs and ilr fees, without dipping into public funds and even without access to 30hr free child care. Like one said- they have a higher suffering threshold.

Anti-immigration policies are one thing both sides of the divide agree on. But don't miss the forest for the trees. The coming decades would be dominated by a struggle not for natural resources like times past but human resources.

This same UK pays agencies loads to poach nurses from overseas, they now register more doctors from abroad than the do local grads, have devised a means to ensure cheap care labour from beyond, are also paying teachers 10k in relevant fields.

miidae:
...
I’m just tired, he said sponsorship is the real deal
Is it possible to get sponsorship in my career line?
Do I take the care job as suggested by hubby?
Do I stop applying?

I don't think your options are mutually exclusive. UK experience is very important in getting a job moreso if its in a desired field.

As you have no visa encumbrances for the time being, you could take the care role and still be applying for roles in your given field. At least, you get UK experience and don't have a gap on your CV in addition to the income. You can then look out for volunteer roles in ypur chosen field to garner specific experience. With that under your belt, you should be able to get folks willing to sponsor in your chosen field.

Streetinvestor2:
I don't know what you mean being emotional
All I said is simple,naira had no business going above #750 after the government floating because that was the fair/stable price and true market value because nothing changed in the economy. And if we look at it now because of less demand it should be less than #750.

Therfore I believe the government is reaping us off on anything above #750 black market price they met it

The government is doing the right thing even if thr approach could be better though I am not a fan of apc/tinubu

The true value represents the rate at which market participants- including everyday Nigerians can exchange for. Before this current dispensation, the last time we has a true value was at 150 ish

The black market rate was once 350, then 500, 750, 950. Which of them represented the true value of the naira? Giving usd to a select few at cheaper rates also subsidised the black market rate but in turn generated a gaping hole. Which is why the street price rose whenever CBN adjusted its rates.

What the CBN did for years was cover an infested wound with plaster and tell us look! it's healing well. What you are asking is how deep did the infection go- the answer is simple- we don't know cos we never bothered to find out.

Zahra29:
The bolded is illogical. The facts clearly show that potential nursing students were disincentivised when the bursary was scrapped. The below quote is from the Nursing Times:

The NHS bursary in England was scrapped by the Conservative government in 2017, causing a large drop in applications to nursing courses in the years immediately after

Hopefully it will be reinstated by the Labour government as a sensible strategy to increase domestic intake rather than the unsustainable reliance on foreign labour.

My point remains - if Nigeria can subsidise university education for its citizens, when I'm sure many would argue that this money should be better used to service its many pressing economic challenges, then I'm confused why the constant argument here against UK home fees being capped or even subsidised further for its citizens.

Facts might appear illogical but they remain facts. That's why in interpreting data, the more important part is not the number bring presented to you but the details behind. In this case- actual nursing acceptances/students (not applications) and the trend (not just a year).

The opportunity cost of bursaries were that the numbers were limited to what the govt could sponsor which was in itself a bottleneck. With it being scrapped, students could be accepted freely into courses hence causing a jump in numbers. Like everyone studying, they can still take up student loans if they wish too. There is now also the masters in nursing and apprenticeship pathway to a nursing licence. History has shown a bursary would not help uptake (except its unlimited). Renumeration OTOH might help.

The argument is not against subsiding education. Cherry picking a fragment of Nigeria without understanding the underlying demographic and drivers is not a reasonable comparison. Moreso given the tuition free being paid here is subsidized just like it is in Nigeria. What's better is that anyone can go thru a uni program here without spending a penny whereas uni students in Nigeria have manytimes had to drop out as they were unable to afford the subsidised fee. England can make tuition free just like Scotland. The only two questions are- how would it be funded And what would be the opportunity cost?

opeoyek:
Hi everyone

Do I have to do a survey for an old build?

Thats where it's more important. Don't think its compulsory though.

teeebest:
Yes oo. It is a 4 bedroom house we are getting for 140k.

I'm surprised.. even for the north wasn't expecting it this 'cheap'.

Raalsalghul:
Finally the Tories have shifted from Immigration to Public Benefits.

No more bashing of International students doing "Mickey Mouse" degrees.

Where Hustla self?

Lol.. the interesting part is going online and seeing folks who typically blame immigrants for everything suddenly start talking about 'punching up' now that the next low hanging fruit is being targeted simply cos the demographic involved here is different. What next? perhaps limiting state pension to only those whose parents were Brits.

An immigrant recently asked me 'what is mental health'. The person don hear am for news tire but didn't comprehend. I tell no worry, after 5 years (ILR) u sef go sabi about mental health.

lavida001:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNo5yaExAXw
I’m happy Rishi is trying to get those on benefits back to work. They have become very lazy and over relying on this benefits and I think it’s unfair to migrants who pay taxes/ IHS with no recourse to public funds.

The benefits system is a maze the drivers might be contentious, but the trend is clear. I remember stating a while back to ask any GP you know how far with fit notes.

2.8 million and rising on longterm sick. Irrespective of the cause, someone has to pay for their welfare. A fast rising significant part of the central and local governments budget goes to social care, state pension and universal credit. Those in affected counties are already feeling it.

Ultimately, the statement by Hunt captures it well- work should pay.

Zahra29:
...
Nurses also used to get bursaries to study which encouraged many into the profession.
If the UK government decides to reinstate the nursing bursaries or subsidise tuition fees for all or some courses e.g. teaching, STEM, medical degrees etc , to address chronic labour challenges in those sectors, then it's in their gift to do so and I don't see why it should be a problem.

Afterall even the Nigerian government, despite the myriad of economic challenges it faces, still manages to subsidise tuition costs for medical degrees.

Interesting there was a big jump in the number of nursing students when the bursary was scrapped. One wonders if a reintroduction would not cause a reversal.

Nigeria subsidizes education (and petrol) at a baseline for every student (not exclusively medical students). Every country has a social budget- the main points are first, what percentage of public money is spent on social interventions. Secondly, what are those social interventions and most importantly is there an equitable and progressive distribution?

okposm:
I dont know the HR never met them for a day. They never called directly. Even during documentation i dont think any of them attended to me. If the hr is in that building i dont know the floor. If they call hr those ones will say they need staff number. I dont want them to come and meet to remind me of data policy issues. it is not spie work but as with most govt dept deal with the public. I have started looking for another house.
The landlord wrote something that looks like i am lying.

I will call them up tomorrow to see if they are good with the info they have. Assuming i have a payslip, i would have just blurred some parts and send it to them.

Asking for evidence of employment/reference is what most landlords would request moreso for a sought after property.

It takes alot to evict a non-paying tenant hence estate agents/landlords want to get it right.

Whoever handled your employment should be able to advise or provide you a letter. Even if na mi5 you dey work, they'd have a cover department they can use as such requests are largely common place.

Streetinvestor2:
Guy leave people to be living in what ever conspiracy theories.


They should tell us what has changed since last year at black market price of 750 and today. Infact it should be less than 750 as of today since the demand for dollars has dropped as per dangota refinery,UK policy for tertiary education and cleared backlog on forex.

This is why I don't equally believe the rubbish on subsidy on fuel has returned. Is government sourcing its dollars from black market or official window since it is only nnpc importing the fuel.Who can say the value attached to dollars for the importation of fuel..The true value of dollars should be below #750 black market price the government met it.At what price did banks reevaluate thr dollars .

You sound too emotional. I've learned that when I get too emotional in defending a viewpoint then I'm like missing something. Economic policies are not about emotion or what I want.

First the debacle with the naira was well set in stone 2-3 years ago. When you had people accessing usd at well below market rates and dumping them into the market, the outcome was clear.

Like I said above, against what many think, the actual exchange rate is less of our problem. What we need is a stable/fairly predictable rate and the right macroeconomic policies.

awesomeJ:
@jedisco,
Your points are valid...

.

No objections to the most part.

You mention policies- ultimately, its the past govts policies that led us here. Reason why I've hardly raised the current CBN gov yet. I have no reason to believe Cardoso has done badly given the stick he was dealt. The issue is those who defend these policies without cause. While Emefiele was reeling out his policies, lots even on this thread defended them. We were told it was 'smugglers' driving the exchange up while same person was boasting about how much his BDC friends were making from round-tripping. Even till date, many can't link the connection between the subsequent debacle and the actions of the previous govt.

I have held that as this govt has taken a different approach to the economy than the last then ultimately, I expect outcomes should be different.

When I say defend, its not just about money. Yes, money was spent but alot of macroeconomic policy changes were made when the naira crossed 1500. The result has been felt. The exchange rate means little what's more important is a stable rate and low inflation.

Lastly, people keep mentioning diesel like its a silver bullet. Yes, its very important but in 2024 moreso with our population growth, refining oil we produce and stopping there is hardly going to put us on the world stage. We need same self sufficiency in agriculture, textile, basic tech, transport all occuring at same time

sholadele4:
Seniors on this thread, I started living in the UK almost 2 years ago and I'm finally working towards getting a mortgage. I would like to know if my credit history from Nigeria plays a role in this process.

Hehe... what happened in 9ja... U dey owe banks money?

Dum20:
I spoke with a banker friend of mine, who told me that it was Binance that was manipulating the naira rate.

That because a lot of unofficial transactions were going through Binance, Binance was able to influence the exchange rate.

Now that Binance is banned the CBN became the biggest supplier of forex.

So lets watch by how much, the CBN can control the market.

I have to give them kudos for having the balls to take on Binance.

It's not that clearcut though.

A few years back it was Abokifx that was blamed. Now Binance.

Binance was a fringe player initially when BDCs were still active. When the CBN started all the rigmarole and naira4dollar scheme e.t.c looking to force remittances through a lower than market rate, Binance traffic grew and it became the defacto source of matket rates.

You know soon enough, the Binance traffic would move elsewhere (it's already moving). Binance was easier to take down as they had local offices. Most other crypt0 exchanges do not have local offices.
Right now, there is good supply and the exchange is based on the interbank rate and rate at which CBN supplies BDCs. If that changes, the market would sense it.

Banks also played a role. Why is difficult for banks to set up remittance platforms or make paying in forex straightforward? The last time they did, they stashed the forex oversees and didn't repatriate them.

Acidosis:
I will be waiting. I need that N700/$1 more than anyone else.

No need stressing over these things. Macroeconomic capabilities are not rocket science.

CBN threw loads at to defend the naira at 1500. This was well predictable a few werks back. I remember stating that.

Ultimately I think 1k would be a tough nut to crack. We might get a few dips below but finally settle above.
Just like with mose previous rounds of devaluation and CBN intervention where wide irrational swings are followed by a period of calm in which underlying market drivers then determine the next move.

In the coming months, I expect the currency to stabilise above 1k (happy to be proved wrong). What happens next would not be based on emotions but underlying market principles. If the government has got it right with the economy, the currency would reflect that.

I for one would be quite glad if local growth in our economy can lead to either rapid wage rise or a drop in exchange as people have had less and lesss in real terms over the last decade.

Adunnishugar:
Well she doesn’t have a fixed salary, she’s self employed sometimes she make 800 and sometimes it could be more or less, but she wants to start paying her self a fixed salary (from her business account to savings) for the purpose of the visa application, so technically it’s not a lie. I just want to know how much salary would be reasonable considering that she’s planning to show a three months bank statement with a balance of 3 million.

Like you are aware, she and her business are different entities. If she is not including her business but rather stating she is employed by the business then her case should be like any other employee. Her 'job' could then be a tie back home.

First is having reasonable savings at the onset of the statement.
Secondly you need to consider how much she's reporting as her budget for the trip. A relatively short stay should cut down expense. Overall, it's better not to exceed 3x her monthly pay. You could decide she'd stay with you to cut down on accommodation expense.

If she pays herself salary from a business account and has tax deducted payslips to back it up then one wouldn't expect an issue with that.
Also, there should be regular spending from her account to show its in use and being spent from.

When I initially applied for my visit visa, I had to 'prepare' my account. I ensured the opening balance was reasonable and tailored monthly expenditure from my account for a while. Aside regular living expense and some purchases, any other major expense (incl some application fees) were paid from a different source. I mentioned my job among others as my home connection. Also including my appointment letter.

Zahra29:
Or maybe both the UK government and universities should take lessons from their European neighbours , such as Germany , where tuition fees are free or very heavily subsidised for their citizens.

Or even Scotland next door with free tuition but also higher income tax and lower thresholds. Ultimately, in macroeconomics there is no such thing as 'free'. Every largesse has to be paid for.

Timmi:
The inflation rate in Nigeria is artificial and it is a reflection of the greed in human nature - Man's inhumanity to man. Initially it was exchange rate, now that the rate has come down, you will expect cost of goods to follow suit, but no. Fuel will soon be trending down, Diesel already started the downward trend. Naturally, the cost of goods should follow this trend, but Nigeria don't follow economic logic simply because of the sabotage in the system.

I've followed the current inflation curve and rather than blame the everyday Nigerian/akara seller chasing survival, those in charge of macroeconomic policies should be held to account. A single round-trip under PMB and Emefiele would have had more effect on the naira than 10,000 akara sellers increasing the price of their items.

Truth is that inflation once entrenched is sticky and takes alot of fight to stabilise and then drive down. Few years back, there used to be an upto 3 month lag between devaluation and widespread rise of goods. People were largely forced to as price of everything else had increased. As the govt continued with senseless economic policies and further devaluation, that interval became shorter as people got wiser. It's the last person that increases that's burnt the most.

Inflation should drop in coming months- An increase in bank account savings rate should help. Things like electronics should drop first. Food and rent tend to be the most sticky. But also remember that a drop in inflation does not mean a drop in prices but that the rate at which they're going up is reducing.

Zahra29:
The government has to strike a balance that also takes into consideration affordability for UK students, especially those from middle and working class backgrounds. If universities were allowed to charge what they wanted, with no cap in place, it would very quickly become unattainable for the majority from the above backgrounds, or become like the US where many are shackled by student loan debt for most of their working lives.

Before the Tories came into power, university fees were paid by the government and many students paid little to nothing. So to go from that to graduating with c30k student debt is already seen as unfair.

In a country with an and increasingly narrow fiscal headroom. Someone has to pay for every largesse.

As it unfolds, certain things have become obvious.

1. Fees from international student form an important part of universities revenue. More importantly- about the only pie they have significant control over.

2. There are a limited number of folks out there willing to stand on the 'student mill', hand over thousands of pounds, receive insults while at it and be chucked out at the other end with only a piece of paper and no reasonable pathway to stay.

Many govt regulated rates minimum wage, utility bills, transport fees move up yearly sometimes with inflation. The increasing expenditure of unis would ultimately have to be borne by someone. Its either one or a mix of govt increasing funding, unis increase efficiency/cut down massively or unis look for funding elsewhere.

awesomeJ:
What we're saying is investing in naira assets vs HOLDING USD purely for speculation.

The fact that this is even up for debate should be worrying enough.

Itsrm:
Those who think banks will have any significant reduction in profit this year will be shocked.

Those banks have perfected the art of making money.

The issue is that they are allowed to make huge sums at the expense of the real economy. Practically just making loads from currency fluctuations while stifling growth.
More annoyingly, their services are hardly decent wit branches limited to major cities or towns, long queues and lots of unserviced atm machines.

Their regulator - the CBN oversight agencies like the National assembly should also be held responsible.

BTW, why has CBN not mandated banks to raise interest rate on savings account moreso with the recent rise?

Banks have swiftly raised interest on their loan offerings. The huge spread between CBN interest from TBs and customer saving rates offers an economic blackhole for these institutions to make lots of money without any additional benefit or productivity to the economy.

Reminds me of the UK parliament recently querrying bank bosses for not raising their savings rates for customers fast enough in line with the Bank of England rate hike but rather keeping the profits to themselves. Better savings rates would encourage saving and hopefully put downward pressure on inflation

Tinyemeka:
1 year: 20%! Father lord!

Meanwhile UK people see 6% and are jumping up and down as if they won the lottery.

This life sef.

Hehe... also bring in how much interest people in Argentina are 'enjoying'. Mentioning interest rate without inflation is moot.

Using your example, someone in the UK who choses to invest today at 6% rather than spend should in a years time be able to purchase same item they were looking to buy today with some change to spare. This is because their inflation is below that rate and falling.

Same person in Nigeria who choses to invest at 20% may be unable to purchase in 1 yr what he/she was looking to buy today. This is because our inflation is abt 30% and rising. The interest becomes positive if the CBN can get it above inflation or get inflation down.

Overall, we should rather be worried our interest rate is running that high when that of every sensible economy is at least half. The CBN is not sharing 'enjoyment'.