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Universities claim British reputation damaged following UK immigration changes

The Russell Group, a coalition of 24 of the UK's most prestigious universities, has claimed the damage done by UK immigration policy changes is already being felt as application rates drop.




The Russell Group claim the UK's international reputation as a place to study has been damaged due to changes to UK immigration policy.


As part of its effort to reduce net immigration to the UK to the 'tens of thousands' by the end of the current Parliament, the Government has made drastic changes to UK visa and immigration policy - some of which have affected international students.

Policy changes which came into effect in April place more stringent requirements on English language abilities and remove the right to work following graduation.

Universities have consistently argued that international student numbers, which are worth billions of pounds to the British economy every year, should be removed from net migration stats but the Government has remained firm.

The issue reached a head last month when London Metropolitan University's (LMU) ability to vouch for international students was revoked, leaving over 2,000 students with the prospect of finding alternative institutions to study at, or returning home.

The LMU is yet to be resolved by the Russell Group has claimed the damage has already been done and UK visa applications from Indian students have already dropped by as much as 30% in the wake of the scandal.

Craig Calhoun, recently appointed director of the London School of Economics (LSE), said in the aftermath of the LMU scandal, prospective international students "are worried about the possibility the Government might suddenly and without notice revoke visas."

"If you are a bright student and you have offers from the LSE and Cambridge and Harvard and you haven't got a visa for the UK, what are you going to do?" asked Mr Calhoun, adding that the LMU scandal has done 'untold reputational damage' to the country's international education industry.

Ministers claim the changes are justified due to high levels of abuse within the system; foreign citizens apply to university courses, enter the country and then seek employment instead of studying.

Marissa Murdock, casework manager at the UK Visa Bureau, says ministers need to be aware of the impact policy changes can have.

"The changes made to policy so far have been very heavy handed and the drop in application numbers was predictable," said Ms Murdock.

"Everyone agrees the system needs to become more stringent to limit abuse, but it shouldn't come at the cost of one of the country's most profitable and well respected industries."

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The UK Visa Bureau is an independent immigration consultancy specialising in helping people prepare for their UK Ancestry Visa application.

http://www.visabureau.com/uk/news/11-10-2012/universities-claim-british-reputation-damaged-following-uk-immigration-changes.aspx

Any nairalander purchased a plot of land @ Oakwood Park Estate close to RCCG camp?

@ Dayo,

I want to buy a plot of land @ your Oakwood Park. Check your email my offer.

Go to Benin City and check out quality top- notch furniture. U don't need to travel abroad.

National Theatre To Spend N22m On Typewriters





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In the 21st century when most of the world’s typewriter manufacturing companies have long closed shops, the National Theatre is spending a whopping sum of N22.8 million to purchase the few remaining ones.

Demand for the machines has sunk in the last 10 years as consumers switch to computers.

LEADERSHIP checks showed that typewriters are at the end of their line as most of the world’s typewriter manufacturers have closed down their plants or converted to other lines of productions.

The last standing typewriter factory in the world, Godrej and Boyce, is closing its plant in Mumbai, India. What remains are just several hundred typewriters, most of which are Arabic language models.

Although typewriters became obsolete years ago in the west, they were still common in India – until recently, reported the Daily Mail.

Typewriter sales have plummeted in the past several years: the company sold fewer than 800 machines in 2010, down from the 50,000 it produced every year in the 1990s.

“From the early 2000s onwards, computers started dominating. All the manufacturers of office typewriters stopped production, except us,” general manager Millind Dukle told the Business Standard. “We are not getting many orders now. But this might be the last chance for typewriter lovers. Now, our primary market is among the defence agencies, courts and government offices.”

Another one of Godrej and Boyce’s typewriter plants in Shirwal was shut down recently and is now used as a refrigerator manufacturing unit.

In the face of this development, the National Theatre provided for N22.8 million in its 2012 budget for the purchase of typewriters.

The item, which comes under the heading “Purchase of fixed assets – general” has other items as purchase of office furniture and fittings, purchase of photocopying machines, purchase of fire-fighting equipment as well as purchase of recreational facilities.

Kabir Yusuf, general manager, National Theatre, when asked about the item exclaimed, “Who uses typewriters these days?” He however said the money was for writing equipment.

When asked to shed more light on what he meant, he said the sub-head typewriter is the budget template under which there are other items, which he would not mention.

source: Leadership.ng

ICT is the future! What GEJ and all levels of govt. from federal to local level, including private partnership, should be
doing right now is to revamp the national ICT policy, in collaboration with industry leaders. Introducing ICT at primary school
level is great, but before commencing the program, the educational system should be reformed and adeqautely funded to 21st century
standards. Nigeria is 150- 160 million people, a powerful human resource with growing youth population. With the right leaders, Nigeria
should focus on five core areas in the next 10 years: 1) ICT & Education, 2) Healthcare, 3) Infrastructure- massive expansion of road network,
4) Energy consolidation / expansion, and 5) Agriculture, production & export.

Interesting thread. I am waiting for science / evolution to explain the divergence in the human race. How do u explain chinese, white, black, hispanic, Arabs, Indian, etc? Did white evolve from black or chinese?

If some have the same kind of dream for about 11- 12 times for the period of over 2 years, what do u guys make
of the dream? It is a positive dream though.

Please post and discuss meaningful topics. Much Ado About Absolutely Nothing!
The French, Americans and British borrowed heavily from Latin and Greek when these
languages (Latin and Greek) were widely used by the so- called educated elites.
Nothing remians the same, people and languages evolve, so do the names of cities, towns
and countries.

@Poster, I schooled in Enugu campus for many years and can tell you that it is a great city. It is peaceful
and have a lot of great higher citadels of learning. Some reasons I can suggest for the relatively expensive real
estate are: growing city and not enough new buildings to meet the demand. Many nigerians of Eastern Nigeria heritage tend to have a family/ vacation home in Enugu, thereby adding to the imbalance in supply and demand.

HOFUF, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia is set to construct an industrial city for women only to allow them to work in an environment in line with the country's strict laws.

The city, to be built in Hofuf, is being built to allow women to become more financially independent, the British newspaper The Guardian reported Sunday.

The Saudi Industrial Property Authority said the city is slated to open next year.

"I'm sure that women can demonstrate their efficiency in many aspects and clarify the industries that best suit their interests, nature and ability," authority Deputy Director General Saleh al-Rasheed said.

The city will create about 5,000 jobs for women in textiles, pharmaceuticals and food-processing, and will be near residential neighborhoods "to facilitate the movement of women to and from the workplace," the authority said in a statement.

Currently, women make up only 15 percent of Saudi Arabia's workforce, the report said. Proposals have also been submitted for four similar industrial cities to be created.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/08/13/Women-only-industrial-city-to-be-built/UPI-48241344876966/#ixzz23Uc8c8gJ

A couple from Suffolk have claimed last week's massive £148.6 million EuroMillions jackpot, the National Lottery has said.

The windfall will make the pair the nation's second richest lottery winners.

But they are keeping their identity a secret until tomorrow when they are expected to go public and reveal their plans for the future.

The couple, from the town of Haverhill, were the only winners in Friday's draw and scooped a staggering £148,656,000.

The sum is just behind the £161m landed by Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs in North Ayrshire, last July.

A difference in the exchange rate means this week's jackpot was slightly lower.

A National Lottery spokesman said: "A couple from Haverhill, Suffolk, have won the UK's second biggest ever lottery prize.

"They were the only winners in Friday's EuroMillions draw and have banked an amazing £148,656,000."

Theirs is the seventh lucky ticket to have hit the jackpot in the UK this year.

To date, the National Lottery has created some 2,900 millionaires.

Friday's winning numbers were 50, 21, 17, 48 and 11, and the Lucky Star numbers were 09 and 10.

I decided to post this article to encourage my fellow Nigerians in the diaspora to look toward Nigeria for investment
and open their eyes.


Analysis: Nigeria, a rugged road to high returns
By Tim Cocks | Reuters – 6 hrs ago....Email
Share0Print......LAGOS (Reuters) - Bomb blasts, gun attacks, airline crashes, kidnappings, industrial-scale oil theft, armed robberies and fraud costing billions of dollars.

Such things might give pause to anyone thinking of opening a business. In Nigeria, they happen with alarming frequency, and yet investors just keep coming.

The reasons are many: alluring returns in this high-risk frontier market; a huge and growing population with latent potential for a consumer boom; light crude oil ideal for making motor fuel; and sophisticated financial markets.

"We know it's not risk free," says Charles Robertson, global Chief Economist at Renaissance Capital. "But look around the world and find another economy with 160 million people growing at 7 percent with such potential. It's a struggle to find them."

Nigeria can look like it's teetering on the cusp of chaos, but it is also Africa's second biggest economy and top oil producer.

"Nigeria is the best kept secret in the world. Anybody who doesn't invest in Nigeria only has himself to blame, going forward, if he misses out," industrialist Aliko Dangote told Reuters in an interview at his Lagos office.

"I don't really know of any place where you can make as much money as you make in Nigeria."

As Africa's richest man, he should know. Last year, the cement tycoon's Nigeria investments boosted his personal fortune more than fivefold - a bigger rise than anyone else on the Forbes list of world billionaires - to $13.8 billion.

Dangote is from northern Nigeria, where Islamist insurgents of the Boko Haram movement have killed hundreds in daily gun and bomb attacks this year in a bloody anti-establishment offensive.

Dangote, whose interests are mostly in the south, with some exposure to the north, does not let the violence affect his business decisions.

"Boko Haram have not destroyed any business here. They have not gone to any factory and planted a bomb," he said.

"Because of drugs barons fighting with the Mexican government, does it mean no one will go and invest in Mexico? No. People are rushing there."

"DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND" TRUMPS INSTABILITY?

Still, if you want an example of how violence and political instability in Nigeria can slice millions of dollars off your profit margin, look no further than PZ Cussons.

The soap maker announced two profit warnings in the first quarter of this year, blaming a hit to sales from social unrest in Nigeria, its biggest market, where it makes a third of its revenue.

The country erupted into strikes and protests in January when President Goodluck Jonathan's government made an abortive attempt to end a popular fuel subsidy. The strikes lasted only a week, but the central bank said they cost $617 million a day.

The violence in the north also worsened around that time.

"Insurgency in the north clearly had a detrimental impact on PZ's business, and on (food maker) UACN, which has distribution hubs there," Matthew Pearson, Standard Bank's head of African Equity Product, told Reuters on a visit to Lagos.

But in the longer term, both firms are betting Nigeria's big population will turn into a massive consumer market.

"The demographic dividend is colossal," Pearson said.

A failure to recognize such long-term opportunities in emerging markets astounds Stephen Jennings, CEO of investment bank Renaissance Group.

"Whether we are talking about political evolution in Russia, or economic development in Africa, there remains a clear overemphasis on current difficulties and constraints, and an under-appreciation of the pace and magnitude of modernization and structural change," he told an investor conference this week.

Some clearly appreciate it. The CEO of South Africa's Shoprite, Whitey Basson, said in February he saw scope for 700 stores in Nigeria, up from two now, arguing that even if 60 percent live in poverty, the other 40 percent still outnumber South Africans.

And oil companies like Shell are making enormous profits in Nigeria - and renewing onshore licenses - despite the fact that armed gangs steal a growing portion of their oil.

Foreign direct investment into Nigeria has hovered between $6 billion and $8.5 billion since 2007, World Bank figures show, apparently unresponsive to its various crises.

FEAR OF OFFICIALDOM

Business people say the risk from such insecurity pales compared with that of government interference.

Jonathan's administration says it is working to remove impediments such as corrupt officials and onerous bureaucracy, but they admit it is a huge task.

"Look at the port. That's a bigger investor concern than bomb blasts or plane crashes," said Tony Elumelu, chairman of Lagos-based Heirs Holdings, a fund that invests across Africa.

Corrupt officials at Lagos port - one of the busiest in Africa - slow down deliveries to extort money from importers, a bottleneck to growth and cause of Nigeria's high living costs.

"For many businesses, the difficulty of getting goods cleared ... is their biggest complaint," Elumelu said. "The good news is the government is now taking action to improve it."

Such "official risk" is what oligarchs like Dangote can use political ties to mitigate. Not everyone has such connections, but players with dominant positions in markets that don't require much government cooperation can still fare well.

"If you look at Nigeria Breweries, short of expropriation, it's going to continue to effectively print money, because of the size of the market ... irrespective of the management of the country," said Fola Fagbule, Vice President of Origination and Coverage at Africa Finance Corporation.

Other sectors, such as infrastructure, face daunting hurdles from obstructive officials. Telecoms firms need licenses. They need land to put up masts. They need permits to set up base stations.

All complain of extortion by officials to keep stations open.

The downside was enough to persuade Vodacom to pass up investing in Vmobil - now owned by Bharti Airtel - in 2005, citing an "inappropriate level of risk".

Yet telecoms is now one Nigeria's most profitable sectors, and Nigeria is Bharti's most profitable African market.

In his last year as Vodacom CEO in 2008, Alan Knott-Craig said he regretted the decision not to set up shop in Nigeria. Vodacom is now making moves to come back.

Rival MTN had no such qualms, and today it is Nigeria's leading operator.

Among the risks it faces are "poor infrastructure, lack of security, vandalism, multiple taxation, over-regulation ... unlawful interference with telco infrastructure by government agencies and ... prejudicial court judgments," says Funmilayo Omogbenigun, MTN Nigeria's corporate affairs manager.

Despite that discouraging litany, Nigeria remains MTN's biggest cash cow, making $2.5 billion in core profit in 2010 and again in 2011.

The telecoms success has raised hopes for Nigeria's moribund power sector, if the government gets round to privatizing it.

"Nigeria's often surprised on the upside, and telecoms is a classic example. People are looking at power in the same way," Fagbule said.

"It looks messy, it looks difficult, but if you sit on the sidelines and it turns out to be this massive honeypot, you'll live to regret it."

(Editing by Will Waterman)

Does NHF have a website? Where can one get info on these mortgages and the requirements?

@ Poster, How did u expect anyone to call or email u?
No tel # or email address in your posts.
If u are serious send your tel # and email address to: sagewood@yahoo.com

@ All,

Thank you all for all your contributions to my thread. I read every post, ranging from the thought-provoking and
the sublime, to the ridiculous. The responses gave me a wide and deep insight into the diverse reasons
or "perceived reasons" why diasporans decide to re- cross "the bridge" again.
I wanted to hear from Nigerians from different walks of life, and I appreciate you all for doing your thing.
My plan right now is to use my resources and the expertise I have acquired in the USA to launch innovative
programs and businesses in Nigeria. I intend to remain here and then visit Nigeria frequently to source for
talents and lay the frame work for my plans. The way for me is to use the best opportunities available
in the diaspora and at home to achieve my goals. Nigeria is our home land and I believe we can make things
great if we contribute to her development, even in our own little ways. Let's stop clamouring for change,
let's be the agents of change.

Anyway u look at it, the advert should be edited. The bolded line have unintended meanings, innuedos and also unacceptable to the discerning mind.

I have often wonder the real reasons why some Nigerians in the diaspora make the
decision to relocate back home.
A lot of Nigerians voluntarily return despite the incessant power outage, bad roads,
insecurity, and high unemployment.
I would like your thoughts on this issue.

Please email pictures of your properties /lands for sale to: sagewood@yahoo.com

Ideas!

Gbam! Expose them if the are fake and dodgy.

Where is Onne? and add pictures/ map of the region or area.

What are the trending and innovatives businesses in Nigeria?
I want to invest in the businesses of the future that will create jobs
for Nigerians. Any info?

Post pictures to show the "elegant" houses if u want people to show interest.

@ Poster,

Great architectural drawings/ designs, but please stop using
pictures of caucasians. Insert pictures of Nigerias/ blacks.

Post pictures.

Post pictures.

@ Shopclue,
No yawa, we will connect soon.
Keep flying the flag.

THE nation may have been bolstering the fortunes of foreign printers by over $10 billion (N1.5 trillion) yearly, going by the assessment of local operators, who claimed to have been largely sidelined in terms of patronage, by various organisations in both public and private sectors of the economy.

Besides, the institute canvassed the resuscitation of moribund paper mills, to further promote local content policy initiative.

Indeed, the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON) said the capital flight may persist until the Federal Government halts patronage of the foreign printers.

In an exclusive chat with The Guardian, CIPPON President, Alhaji Wahab Muhammed Lawal also urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that it adopts the policy that would make it mandatory for security documents to be printed in the country.

“Government should stop patronising foreign printers. It should rather increase the duty on imported printing materials and make the duty on papers to be free, so that investors will be encouraged and the nation will save a lot of foreign exchange.

. A lot is being lost from taking printing jobs outside the country and it is not that they can do better than what we are doing here,” he said.

He emphasised the need for the government to revive the nation’s paper mills to provide raw materials for the printing industry.

Interesting discussions/ contributions so far. That's great.
We have read all the points. Now, the next step is what do we do
to wake this gigantic entity called Nigeria from a deep slumber,
get organized and unleash her true potentials?

I wonder often what will it take? How will it look or feel it? How will it be done to make the federating states in
Nigeria to use healthy competition and innovation as the platforms to build a powerful economic renaissance?
The vast human and material resources in each state can be unleashed and mobilised to position the country at the heart of
African economic and social development.
What lessons can be learnt from other countries?
Please let's have a mature and objective debate on the issues.

Good points excelproperties.
Post pictures of land and properties you have for those that need them.
Another man's meat is another man's poison.
I live in the USA, but you can't afford to lay all your plans in one place.
Diversify your portfolio people, home and abroad.