Three months to the commencement of the £3000 visa
bond regime due to be imposed on Nigerians travelling to
the United Kingdom, theFederal Government may have
perfected plans to impose a £5,000 visa bond on
prospective British citizens visiting Nigeria.
This is in retaliation to the new but controversial
immigration policy of the UK scheduled to commence in
November 2013.
The Home Office of the United Kingdom, recently classified
Nigeria, India, as “high risk” and placed a £3,000 bond
on every Nigerian visiting Britain.
The bond will be forfeited to the British government if an
immigrant overstays his permit.
More than two million Nigerians are residing in the UK.
Uproar had greeted the immigration policy described as
“discriminatory” since its announcement in June.
Nigeria is one of the countries put on the British “high-
risk-list”. Others are India, Ghana,Bangladesh, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka.
The countries are slated for the pilot scheme ofthe new
immigration policy to check immigration abuses.
A reliable source at the Nigerian High Commission in
London told National Mirror thatthe refusal of the British
Government to backpedal on the visa bond compelled
Nigeria to fight back.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga
Ashiru, had earlier assured that Nigeria would react
appropriately if the policy was eventually implemented.
The source, who is a senior officer of the High
Commission but did not want his name mentioned, told
our correspondent in London that Nigeria had officially
protested to the British government over the policy.
He, however, said that there was no sign that the British
would rescind the decision.
“As a responsible country, we have protested officially
against the discriminatory policy to the British
government. But from all indicationsthere is no going
back on the policy. We have tried to make them see
reasons on the need to review the new immigration policy,
but it is like a done deal.
“Don’t forget that Nigeria has threatened to retaliate if the
policy is implemented. So, we are only waiting for the
implementation and the modalities of the new British
immigration policy. But I can assure you that the Nigerian
government won’t fold its hands. We would even raise the
stake beyond the £3,000 they are asking Nigerians to pay
as bond. We are looking at £5,000 as visa bond for UK
citizens visiting Nigeria. This is our plan, which is subject
to the approval of the Federal Government,” the source
told National Mirror yesterday.
This stand is bound to strain the diplomatic relations
between Britain and its former colony,Nigeria.
Early this year, British Prime Minister David Cameron
chided Nigeria for passing anti-gay bill and threatened to
cut aid to the country.
Also, Cameron recently berated Nigerian leaders for the
mismanagement of the country’s huge natural resources.
But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesman, Ogbole
Amedu Odeh, denied knowledge of the £5,000 visa bond.
“I’m just hearing that from you. I’m not aware of any
£5,000 visa bond for British citizens,” Odeh told National
Mirror on phone yesterday.
“Nigeria has not got official correspondence from the
British government. Anytime Nigeria gets official
communication on the policy, we will react appropriately.”
Meanwhile, Nigerians in the UK under the umbrella of the
Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom,
CANUK, have said that if this bond is implemented, wrong
people will be targeted.
In an interview with National Mirror in London, CANUK
Chairman, Bimbo Folayan, said: “On the visa bond, we’ve
expressed our feelings that this is not a right policy. We
feel that the wrong people are being targeted. We believe
that this will be counter-productive and we think this is
more political, more economical than immigration related.
“We have protested to the Commonwealth Office, they
have listened to us and they promised to get back to us.
“Because of the present situation of British economy, it is
probably another way for the Home Office to make
money. But that will be to the detriment of genuine
travellers. The £3,000 bond will only swell the purse of
the British government.”
They, however, opposed the planned retaliationof the
British immigration policy by the FederalGovernment of
Nigeria.
Folayan added: “Our position is that two wrongs cannot
make a right. I believe that Nigerian government should
not retaliate wrongly. Three times this year, I have gone to
Nigeria with British investors. So, it means if I’m going to
Nigeria, I will have to look for £5,000 visa bond for each
of the visitors.
“So, this can only hurt Nigeria. This can hurt investment
inflow in Nigeria. We do not support the £5,000 proposed
visa bond. Either way, from the British government or
Nigerian government, we do not support the policy.
“Policies are made and can be changed. If this is
injurious to the economy of the UK, they have to change
the policy. I don’t see anything cast in stone on the
matter.”
The group, however, said that there was no basis for
Nigerians to come to UK illegally.
“The region of the world that is enjoying growth is Africa
and that is where the focus is. In UK, we are not recording
so much growth and the economic forecast is not too
promising.
“So, everybody is feeling the pain. There are not many
jobs in the UK any more. There is actually no basis for
any youth to leave Nigeriaand live in UK illegally because,
one, there are no jobs. Two, if you come illegally, that is
evenworse because you cannot get a job without relevant
papers like work permit whereas thereare opportunities in
Nigeria,” Folayan said.
Nigerians also decried their being labelled as “high risks”.
“Nigeria is not high risk. The vast majority of Nigerians
living in UK are students, workers and those born in the
country. That is not to say that there are no illegal
immigrants.
“We strongly feel that Nigeria is not a high risk country
regardless of the statistics they might have gathered. We
object to targeting a few countries, calling them ‘high
risk’.
“We do not support illegal immigrants. We actually
encourage Nigerians in the UK to regularise their papers.
We’re also in the forefront of encouraging Nigerians living
in UK illegally to embrace the opportunity that have been
provided by the International Organisation of Migration,
IOM, for them to go back home and live more
meaningfully than staying in UK without getting a job
because of lack of regular papers.”
The group noted that the £3,000 bond would only
embolden desperate people rather than serve as deterrent.
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