₦airaland Forum

Travelling is education. Most times, the information you need is experiential. It is not written in a book. You need to visit places and observe things first-hand. It helps you demystify certain myths. Before I relocated abroad, I had so much faith in anything foreign. I used the term ‘saner climes’ like other writers endlessly. But after living outside Nigeria for a while, I realised there is no ‘sane clime’ anywhere. The only difference is that the standard in Africa is extremely low. These Western countries we look up to also have their challenges, and their citizens are increasingly disillusioned.

Today, thousands of UK residents emigrate yearly in search of better opportunities. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, over 500,000 people left the UK in 2023 alone, with popular destinations including Australia, Canada, and the UAE.

When I read that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in the UK for a state-sponsored visit, I thought, “This is good content for PR.” I didn’t read much into it. I didn’t find it beneficial to the common man on the street, either in the short term or the long term.

The UK is heavily indebted, public sector net debt is over 100% of GDP, and the Labour Party government under Keir Starmer is under pressure to stabilise the economy while maintaining public support. The country is still adjusting to life after Brexit, which has had lasting economic effects. The cost of living crisis persists, with inflation peaking above 10% in 2022 to 2023, and although it has eased, many households still struggle.

The National Health Service is stretched thin, with waiting lists exceeding 7 million patients at some point in recent years. Immigration remains a heated political issue, especially with rising asylum applications, over 70,000 in 2023, and increasing pressure on housing and social services.

So when Tinubu showed up, I saw it more as a film project of make-believe than anything transformative. The pictures were good and bright, as expected. The West has a way of teasing Nigeria about having the best ‘Jollof rice,’ and we always fall for it. At this point, it feels like subtle mockery. Their leaders sprinkle Nigerian slang, we laugh, and the media amplifies it for sensation. We enjoy the moment. The Western world is very skilled at telling people what they need to hear. Not all smiles are real.

While Tinubu’s media team publicised the gains of the trip, amid reports that some supporters were allegedly paid between £300 and £500 to attend welcome gatherings, something more consequential happened quietly.

Tinubu’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, signed an agreement with the UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to improve cooperation on the return of Nigerians with no legal right to remain in the UK. The UK Home Office presented this as a significant step in migration control. The Nigerian Interior Ministry watered down the announcemement in a more dignifying matter. It partly read:

"...........UK government, guarantees that returnees will be treated with dignity, rights retention under domestic law, and may re-enter in the future if they meet the applicable immigration requirements.
It also provides detailed arrangements for the dignified return and reintegration of NIGERIANS who do not have the legal right to remain in the UK".

Compare the above with a Facebook announcement made by the Home Office on the 20th of March:

"We have signed a new agreement with Nigeria to speed up the return of people with no legal right to be in the UK.
Our partnership with Nigeria means we don't have to wait to return people with no right to be here, saving money for the British taxpayer by freeing up space in prisons or detention centres and easing pressure on local communities.
This means quicker action against those who abuse our systems and allows returns to move without delay, while keeping the process fair for those who follow the rules and come here legitimately"

The context tells a more complex story. Nigerians are not among the largest groups arriving illegally in the UK, commiting crimes or gaming the immigration system. Data shows that most irregular arrivals come from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and Eritrea. Nigerians in the UK, estimated at over 270,000 residents, are largely in legal migration routes such as work, study, and family visas. Visa overstay rates for Nigerians exist, but they are not among the highest globally.

So why the urgency? Politics.

As expected, African leaders often sign agreements placed before them by Western countries, partly to maintain diplomatic goodwill and ensure smooth visits. Those glossy pictures matter; they signal acceptance and validation. The endorsement of Western leaders, even those who once described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt,” still carries weight.

The agreement feels like this: a child runs away from home seeking a better future after enduring hardship, and instead of fixing the home, the parent visits the new host to make the child’s stay difficult. You want them back, but to what exactly?

In the age of rising nationalism and global economic uncertainty, living abroad is no longer the dream it once was. Many Nigerian immigrants in the UK quietly admit that the reality is tougher than expected. Some who held executive positions back home now struggle in lower-paying roles abroad, particularly in sectors like construction, warehousing, healthcare, and social care.

Their consolation is often long-term, securing permanent residency and eventually citizenship. According to UK immigration policy, most migrants qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 5 years, but policy discussions have suggested possible extensions to 10 years, which would significantly delay settlement prospects.

For many, especially those in demanding care roles, this means a longer period of economic and professional stagnation. Degrees go unused. Dreams are deferred. The promise of a better future, if not for them, then for their children, keeps them going.

The UK understands this dynamic and continues to adjust its immigration system accordingly. But the underlying question remains: if Nigeria worked, would so many Nigerians still feel compelled to leave?

Yet, the agreement was signed anyway.

The photo ops were brilliant. And I am sure the Minister of Interior, Ojo, will keep his copies as memorabilia.

uche87:
https://www.facebook.com/thevillagetowncrier/posts/pfbid02YHPZdE8TqA5nuXbtVKZjmrBvXfdJW1MLLJpnAM4AydYWSWB731u6xBLeoeBwEaasl

helinues:
The writer should keep his opinion with himself

When it's comes to consulting firm, president Tinubu don't joke with it with every of his moves and policies. That's why there can never be a protest like subsidy protest in Nigeria

The successful of subsidy protest in Nigeria and the winning of Trump in his first term was facilitated by one single consulting firm

Kdon2:
Na dem. Awon uche oran anti Nigeria interest

helinues:
The writer should keep his opinion with himself

When it's comes to consulting firm, president Tinubu don't joke with it with every of his moves and policies. That's why there can never be a protest like subsidy protest in Nigeria

The successful of subsidy protest in Nigeria and the winning of Trump in his first term was facilitated by one single consulting firm

heykims:
A write-up with zero message passed.

MajorOvakporaye:
In your little mind, patriotism means supporting a corrupt and inefficient government. I pity una sha.

Image123:
This can only be strange to a criminal deportee. Nigerians with no legal right to remain in the UK. Why do you want to force yourself to remain where you're not wanted? Why deny legal and well behaved Nigerians goodwill of foreigners by your illegal anyhowness? So, FG should not sign but frustrate your deportation to your country. What are you even saying?

helinues:
The writer should keep his opinion with himself

When it's comes to consulting firm, president Tinubu don't joke with it with every of his moves and policies. That's why there can never be a protest like subsidy protest in Nigeria

The successful of subsidy protest in Nigeria and the winning of Trump in his first term was facilitated by one single consulting firm

FSBoperator:
Has nothing to do with Nigerian citizens in the UK.

This is for asylum seekers and not illegal imigrants.

The UK also has a similar agreement with Rwanda to temporarily house asylum seekers in faccilities that the UK will build and the asylum seekers will also get a small monthly token from same UK govt while their asylum process is pending. If it fails, they will be informed and the Nigerian govt will remove them back to their country which the UK will pay for their flights.

This is a money earner for the Nigerian economy and I don't see how this is bad in any way as I don't see any of those asylum seekers willing to remain in Nigeria if their asylum is denied.

The UK is doing this because they have a serious housing deficit and their social services like the NHS and public schools are being streched to their breaking point. The UK also will pay less on welfare to these asylum seekers given the lower cost of living in Nigeria.

In a nut shell, if Nigeria receives 5,000 asylum seekers annually who will spend approximately 6months to a year processing their asylum claims into the UK, and the UK pays each asylum seeker one thousand pounds per month for their duration of stay in Nigeria, that will amount to 30 million to 60 million pounds injected into our economy.

Also consider that the UK will foot the bill for their accomodation and build asylum camps/estates for them and if their application fails or is succesful, the UK will pay for their travel out of Nigeria.

Nigeria stands to gain at least one hundred million pounds annually with this deal which is about 200 billion NAIRA.
This is more than what the entire SE region contributed to the Federal purse annually.

So rest.

Kdon2:
Obi was one of the worst governors in anambra but you are supporting him today despite the several criticism he recorded during his tenure as governor. Does that not speak volume to your hypocrisy ☹️

dettolgel:
I am not saying that the writer is correct, but are you aware that all the firms that failed during 2008 financial crises had consulting companies consulting and auditing for them? Are you also aware that all the banks, that Sanusi cleaned up during his tenure, had consulting and audit firms that vouched for the robustness of the banks?

Are you also aware that you could let consulting and audit firm see what you want them to see (auditors here can attest to that) . Also some international consulting firm are actually agent of their home government, these firms will railroad you to the advantage of their home government?