The three countries, in separate travel alerts, cautioned their nationals in Nigeria to avoid getting caught in the confrontation that might occur between the security agencies and protesters, citing past incidences.

The advisories come as apprehensive market leaders in Abuja, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, Ogun, Osun, Zamfara, Gombe and other parts of the country requested strong security around markets during the rallies.

Also in preparation for the demonstration, the police authorities have recalled all personnel on non-essential duties.

A memo dated July 25, 2024 and signed by CSP Okon Moses directed the withdrawal of riot policemen ahead of the protest.

The message titled, ‘Notification of temporary withdrawal of personnel for national assignment,’ read, ‘’In view of the planned nationwide protest, it becomes imperative to temporarily withdraw some of the personnel attached to you in order to muster sufficient officers to dominate the public space.

“This is part of the proactive necessary measures to enhance the operational capacity/capability of the squadron and your understanding in the above regard is highly solicited.’’

Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, told The PUNCH that the personnel withdrawal was in line with the Inspector-General of Police’s directive.

He added that this was done to bolster the strength of the police, adding that the men would be deployed to fortify banks and other critical national assets.

He said, “The IG ordered the withdrawal of policemen from some beats to augment our strength. Those withdrawn are those on non-essential duties. We’re going to have men to fortify banks and critical assets. That is where we will have our men, we want our men to be back to base.”

The PUNCH reported that the military had cancelled leaves and passes for its personnel.

In the past weeks, the organisers of the protest, under the #EndBadGovernance tag, have intensified the mobilisation of youths and civil society groups to participate in the rallies against the economic hardship in the country and the alleged failure of the Tinubu administration to address the people’s plight.

On assuming office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu announced an end to fuel subsidy, promising to utilise the savings on infrastructural development, but the policy, compounded by insecurity in farming communities, sparked high transport costs leading to food inflation.

Tinubu also unified the foreign exchange rates to curb currency arbitrage and floated the naira resulting in a slump in the value of the national currency.

However, in the security advisory published on its website on Friday, the US Mission in Abuja advised Americans to avoid getting caught in the rallies.

The advisory counselled them to avoid crowds and demonstrations and monitor local media for updates.

The alert read, “According to media reports, nationwide protests may occur in Nigeria between July 29th and August 5th, 2024. Based on past occurrences, protests may involve roadblocks, checkpoints, traffic congestion and physical confrontations.  No specific times or locations have been identified for potential protests at this time.

“Actions to take: Monitor local media for updates; avoid crowds, avoid demonstrations, be aware of your surroundings, review your personal security plans and keep your cell phone charged in case of emergency; carry proper identification.

“The consular sections of Embassy Abuja and Consulate General Lagos will remain open during regular business hours and consular services will be provided as scheduled.”

Similarly, the UK High Commission said the protests could occur between July 29 and August 10 in Abuja, Lagos and other large cities.

It warned of the likelihood of violence during the rallies, noting that past protests turned violent with little warning

It, however, proposed an extension for PhD holders – recommending three years.

The committee insisted that it found no significant abuse of the Graduate route but raised concerns about recruitment agents misleading international students.

A Graduate visa permits applicants to stay in the UK for at least two years after successfully completing a course.

Also, one must be in the UK during the application.

This decision comes amidst heightened anticipation and speculation regarding the future of post-study opportunities for international students.

The committee’s decision is contained in a report titled “Rapid Review of the Graduate Route” from Asset Manager dated May 2024, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday.

Asset Manager is an API that is called internally by GOV.UK publishing applications to manage their uploads.

In the report’s foreword, written by Prof. Brian Bell (Chair); Prof. Dina Kiwan; Prof. Sergi Pardos-Prado; Dr Madeleine Sumption MBE; and Prof. Jo Swaffiel, MAC noted that “After reviewing the evidence, our conclusion is clear. The Graduate route has broadly achieved and continues to achieve, the objectives set by this government. We therefore recommend that the route remains in place in its current form.”

They also recommended mandatory requirements for universities to ensure transparency and protect the integrity of the UK Higher Education system.

“The Migration Advisory Committee concluded that there is no substantial evidence of significant abuse of the Graduate route, defined as deliberate non-compliance with immigration regulations.

“However, they express concerns regarding the involvement of recruitment agents, particularly in certain markets, who may provide misleading information to prospective international students.

“Despite the introduction of a voluntary framework by the sector to address these concerns, the MAC questions its effectiveness, citing the lack of incentives for agents to adhere to best practices compared to universities.

“They recommend that the government consider implementing mandatory requirements to ensure good practice and advocate for universities to publish information on their use of agents to enhance transparency.

MAC recommends maintaining the Graduate route as it has effectively supported international education goals.

They caution against significant changes due to potential negative impacts on the higher education sector’s financial stability.

Additionally, they propose mandatory registration and quality controls for international recruitment agents to safeguard students and ensure accurate representation of UK higher education.

“The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommends maintaining the Graduate route in its current form. Despite concerns over misuse and government objectives regarding net migration, the route has been effective in supporting international education strategies.

“Closure or further restrictions on the Graduate route could jeopardize the financial stability of many universities. The MAC advises against significant changes until the full impact of recent policy shifts is understood and the higher education funding model is addressed.

“Collaboration between the government and higher education sector is encouraged to align the Graduate route with labour market objectives. International graduates could be better integrated into priority sectors, benefiting both universities and the economy.

To ensure accurate representation and protect international students from exploitation, the MAC recommends mandatory registration and quality controls for international recruitment agents. A new data-sharing framework involving universities, the British Council, and UK Visas and Immigration should be established to monitor agent practices effectively.” the recommendations read.

According to an official statement released by the Department of Business and Trade in the UK, the British Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, along with her Nigerian counterpart, Doris Uzoka Anitie, the Minister for Trade and Investment, will be signing a groundbreaking trade partnership called the “Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP)” with Nigeria.

The deal will be signed today, Feb. 13.

The statement explained that the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) is the first the UK has signed with an African country, and is designed to grow the UK and Nigeria’s already thriving trading relationship, which totalled £7 billion in 2023.

This new deal is also expected to eliminate barriers in the legal services and film industry by allowing UK lawyers to practise international law in Nigeria, and foster collaboration between the film and media industry in both countries.

The statement reads: “It will see Nigeria commit to working towards removing barriers preventing UK lawyers from practising international and foreign law in Nigeria, a step that could significantly increase UK legal services exports.

“It will also pave the way for further collaboration in the film and media industry and encourage world-leading UK education providers to offer high quality education in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and one of the world’s fastest growing economies — predicted to be in the top 20 by GDP by 2035.

“It is also predicted by the UN to nearly double its population to over 370 million people by 2050.”

Badenoch expressed her enthusiasm for the ETIP, highlighting its potential to unleash a wave of exciting opportunities for both countries.

“This partnership with Nigeria — the UK’s first such agreement with an African country — will allow us to work together and seize the opportunities that lie ahead,” she said.

“Nigeria has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. UK businesses have already seen huge success here and I look forward to seeing how we continue to grow this relationship.”

Echoing her optimism, Uzoka-Anitie hailed the new partnership as a bridge to economic progress.

She underscored the agreement’s potential to transform historic ties into a thriving trade partnership, bolstered by increased market access and mutually beneficial exchanges between the UK and Nigeria.

“The UK is one of our long-standing strategic partners with whom we share strong ties, and it gladdens me that this relationship is set to deepen as we sign the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement,” Uzoka-Anitie said.

“This partnership will see Nigeria-UK relations move beyond one of shared history and strong ties to one of shared economic prosperity.

“From increasing market access and supporting our vibrant businesses, to creating more jobs and accelerate greater investments in sectors of mutual interests.”

The statement noted that while in Nigeria, Badenoch will be visiting the site of a new Charterhouse school, the first UK independent school in West Africa, and meeting with the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigerian finance minister, to unlock trade barriers confronting UK businesses.

The councillor from the Labour and Co-operative Party grew up in Nigeria before moving to the UK to pursue her studies at Leeds University.

She wrote on social media, “It’s with great pride that my family and I look forward to undertaking the responsibility to serve.”

Reacting to the new political position, Marshall wrote on her X page, “I am deeply honoured and humbled to be chosen to serve as the next Lord Mayor of Leeds for the 2024/25 term.

“Our city is a shining example of compassion, resilience, and unity, and it’s with great pride that my family and I look forward to undertaking the responsibility to serve you.”

BBC reports that Katung is a governor at Leeds City College, which congratulated her on her new post.

The college said, “We look forward to continuing our work together to provide skills and opportunities for people in the region.”

Marshall’s parents hail from Kaduna State.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council.

The Nigerian community association in the UK shared the news in a statement on their X account  on Monday.

According to the statement, Bello, a cybersecurity professional who recently graduated from the University of Bradford, breathed her last on January 1, 2024.

The statement read, “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of Oluwaseun Bello. She is a cybersecurity professional who recently graduated from University of Bradford.

“She passed away on January 1, 2024. In this difficult time, we seek your support to help her family cover the burial expenses. Your contributions matter,  please consider donating.”

The group, said to be backed by former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, and former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, noted that the country could no longer contain the number of migrants flooding the UK by the day.

The latest statistics indicate that 1.279 million more people have come to the UK than have exited in the last two years.

This, it was noted, has put a lot of pressure on accommodation and amenities in the past month, raising concerns among Britons.

In a recent interview, the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said net migration levels are indeed “too high” after one of his senior ministers said it was “unacceptable” that there were a record number of arrivals last year.

Net migration into the UK peaked at 745,000 in 2022, which is a record high according to revised estimates published by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday.

The data places migration levels at three times higher than before Brexit, despite a Conservative Party 2019 manifesto pledge to bring overall numbers down.

The National Health Service Trusts, on Friday, also stated that it had now become unsustainable to prop up social care with workers on visas.

The Home Office, the UK’s migration department, on Thursday, noted that 143,990 health and care worker visas were granted in the year ending September 2023.

This is more than double the 61,274 for the year to September 2022.

The top three nationalities, according to the Home Office, on these visas are Indians, Nigerians and Zimbabweans.

Nigeria has the most significant percentage increase behind Zimbabwe at 169 per cent and India, with 76 per cent.

In terms of dependents granted health and care work visas, Nigeria spiked by 329 per cent from 10,533 to 45,203.

The increase in the number of healthcare workers migrating to the UK is attributed to its cheap and easy entry migration conditions as the country faces a shortage of healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of March 2023, the number of Nigerian-trained doctors practising in the UK climbed to 11,001

This has created an unprecedented rise in non-EU immigration to the UK, mainly driven by migrants coming for work on health and care visas, according to the statistics.

Statistics also showed that health and care work visas were the most common type of work visa on which dependents came to the UK, and are driving the increase in immigration of those on work-dependant visas.

The 143,990 figure is just for main visa applicants and does not include dependants, which can grow from two per person to nine, or even ten, including extended family members.

In the temporary visa scheme, medical professionals can come to, or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier, or in adult social care, on a health and care worker visa.

Visas last for up to five years and can be extended, while partners and children can also apply to join as the main applicant’s ‘dependants’.

This is following the alert raised by the NMC in May, that the registration of a total of 512 Nigerian nurses and midwives, who passed at a CBT centre in Ibadan could be fraudulent or incorrect.

Consequently, the NMC notified those who sat their CBT at the Yunnik centre that it needed to probe their data and the concerns it raised.

Yunnik Technologies Test Centre is one of the centres where Nigerian nurses and midwives who wish to practice in the UK take a computer-based test to assesses their clinical and numeracy competence.

The council in a press statement on Thursday, said the investigation showed that while the majority of the individuals who sat their CBT at the Yunnik centre are not considered to have joined the register fraudulently, there is evidence of widespread fraud at the centre.

“There is evidence of widespread fraudulent activity at the Yunnik centre, where we suspect some people fraudulently obtained their CBT, probably by the use of a proxy tester, where someone takes the test on behalf of someone else. Overall, this means we cannot have confidence in any CBT result from this test centre, and we’re treating all CBTs obtained at Yunnik as invalid.

“It’s essential for the NMC to maintain the safety and integrity of the register, and the public’s trust and confidence in the professions we regulate. This means we need to assure ourselves that anyone on our register, or applying to join it, meets our proficiency standards. A valid CBT result is one way in which an internationally educated professional can demonstrate they meet these standards,” the statement read in part.

It said of the 515 professionals on the register, 48 achieved their score in a time believed is more likely than not to indicate that they obtained their result fraudulently.

“We will refer each of these cases to an independent panel, called an Investigating Committee, to decide whether they gained fraudulent entry to the register. In line with our existing policy, those individuals will be offered three opportunities to take a new CBT and will be able to give the Investigating Committee information about the circumstances in which they took the CBT at Yunnik, including any mitigating circumstances or character references. They’ll have the chance to attend a hearing to provide the Investigating Committee with evidence in person.

“If the Investigating Committee decides that an individual’s entry to our register was fraudulently obtained, they’re likely to direct us to remove that individual from the register. An individual would have a right to appeal against this decision.

“Based on the evidence at this stage, we are not taking forward allegations of fraud for the remaining 467 professionals on the register who took their CBT at Yunnik.

“However, because we are treating all CBTs from the Yunnik site as invalid, they will need to resit the test successfully to remain on our register. They will be offered three opportunities to do this, in line with our existing policy. This will enable them to evidence to any employer that they hold a CBT result about which there can be no doubt,” it said.

NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, Andrea Sutcliffe said, this may be a distressing time for people facing uncertainty about their application or place on our register but the council is managing the concerns most safely and fairly.

“Internationally educated nurses and midwives make an incredibly important contribution to our health and social care system. Our paramount concern remains to protect the public by maintaining the integrity of the register for nursing and midwifery professionals practising in the UK. That’s why we’ve responded to this situation with such painstaking care and consideration. “We’ve kept employers and key partners, including trade unions and other support groups, updated while we’ve worked through this, encouraging them to support individuals affected and proactively tackle any incidents of racism or discrimination that may have arisen. We’ll continue that dialogue while we move forward with this regulatory action, and I’m grateful for their collaboration and understanding,” Sutcliffe said.

The announcement was made via a statement made available to our correspondent on Monday.

According to the commission, the centre would be opened from September 13, 2023, in addition to current locations in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

The facility will operate out of the Omedel Luxury Hotel, 4/6 Link Road off Pascal and Jerk Bus Stop, Independence Layout, Enugu and will shortly offer a twice-a-week service.

The statement read, “The appointment system allows an applicant to select Enugu as their application location when applying for a UK Visa.

“The temporary submission centre in Enugu opens as a Premium Location, meaning it will cost NGN246,250.00, which includes a Premium Lounge appointment, courier return, SMS notifications, general customer support and guidance.”

“Demand for visa services will be carefully monitored and service reviewed/expanded should there be sufficient volumes. TLS will trial this location for at least 3 months to assess uptake of the service and enable decisions on continuation.”

UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who made this known during a press conference at Downing Street, added that the Immigration Health Surcharge, a fee paid by foreigners to access the country’s National Health Scheme, would also increase significantly.

Sunak explained that the hike became necessary in order to raise the money to pay public sector workers more without resorting to borrowing, which he said would only fuel inflation.

Instead, he said a combination of higher fees for foreigners hoping to move to the UK would cover the cost of pay rises.

Following a series of strikes by some public sector workers in the UK recently demanding a pay rise, the prime minister accepted the recommendation of an independent review of pay for teachers, junior doctors, consultants, dentists, police, and prison officers.

Others to benefit from the pay rise, according to him, are senior civil servants and military personnel, even as the Prime Minister confirmed that the increase would be between five and seven percent across the board.

Sunak said, “If we’re going to prioritize paying public sector workers more, that money has to come from somewhere else because I’m not prepared to put up people’s taxes and I don’t think it would be responsible or right to borrow more because that would just make inflation worse.”

“All of those fees are going to go up and that will raise over £1 billion. So, across the board visa application fees are going to go up significantly, and similarly for the IHS. Work and visa fees are expected to rise by 15 percent, with all other visa fees rising by at least 20 percent.”

About two weeks after President Bola Tinubu promised to unify the nation’s multiple exchange rates, the apex bank decided to float the naira at the Investors and Exporters’ Window of the foreign exchange market. Since then, the naira has fallen from N471/dollar to N750/dollar and N589.4/pound to N957.2/pound.

This has led to about 60 per cent increase in tuition fees for students in the UK.

This rise in exchange rate has put more pressure on many Nigerians that are schooling in the UK and beyond.

The UK is one of the destinations of choice for many Nigerians as 128,770 Nigerian students enrolled in universities in the United Kingdom between 2015 and 2022 according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency of the UK.

According to the CBN, study-related foreign exchange outflow to the UK rose to $2.5bn in 2022. Nigerian students and their dependants in the United Kingdom contribute about £1.9bn annually to the UK economy, according to an analysis by SBM Intelligence.

Many of these students may now struggle to pay the balance of their tuition due to the sharp decline in the value of the naira.

UK universities are currently on break.

A Nigerian student resident in Manchester, Adejoro Deborah, who sounded stressed said “This policy is affecting those of us here and even intending students. My sibling has had to forfeit her admission because of this policy.

“Many students have fallen victim to online scammers just because they want to buy pounds, a friend of mine, for example, was a victim of third-party purchase as the banks at home are not dependable.”

Another Nigerian student studying in Leeds explained that the major challenge was that many kept their tuition fees in their naira account at the former rate.

The student said, “Now they have to start looking for more money because the rate has gone up. If the official rate is not different from street rate, so what’s the essence of waiting for several weeks for your bank when you can just get it from third-party platform. It has only put more pressure on the students to look for more money.”

The student added, “If you put N5m in your account in March when the rate was around N560/£, that means it will pay around £9k tuition fee, but by July, the N5m will only be able to pay around £5k since the rate is now around 1k/£, so that’s where the real problem is. You need to start looking for an additional £4k. That’s the challenges many students are facing.”

Another Nigerian, who is currently studying at Liverpool John Moores University, has become stranded after the school withdrew his access to the school portal.

His access to the university’s portal was withdrawn by the school following his failure to pay his tuition. The Nigerian (name withheld) could not raise the required 4,800 pounds to complete his tuition.

Narrating his ordeal, he said, “The school has withdrawn my access to its platform. As a result, I can’t check the results of my last exam. Everything is done via the platform. I cannot also access my official email given by the school. I can’t attend both online and in-person classes again. It is very frustrating, I am completely shut out.”

The depressed student, who is allowed to work for 20 hours a week as a student, said he could not get a better job because prospective employers were demanding proof that he is allowed to work as a student.

He added, “In fairness to the school, I was given several deadlines which I missed. I could not pay because I was unable to raise enough funds to buy foreign exchange. The exchange rate is very high.”

Another student (name withheld) of the school, said he was on the verge of losing his studentship before he managed to borrow money from friends in Nigeria to pay his tuition.

He shared a copy of a letter that had been addressed to him giving him a final deadline to pay the outstanding tuition.

The letter read in part, “According to our records there is an outstanding balance of £4800 on your university tuition fee account. LJMU has advised you of this situation via emails to both your LJMU and personal email addresses.

“Despite this correspondence, the debt remains outstanding and accordingly, we are now arranging for you to be withdrawn as a student of the University. If this happens, UK Visas and Immigration will be informed that you are no longer a student at LJMU.”

The letter was sent by the Head of Registry Services of the school.

A student, studying IT Project Management at Teesside University, lamented to that many Nigerian students are still in shock.

She said, “Some people are not totally stable because they used to convert their naira to pounds for school fees payment.”

She explained that while she did not benefit from the official rate initially, she still has to pay more now. She said “When I got in initially, I converted at the rate of N920-935 thereabout. But after the CBN reforms, it has been a nightmare. The highest I did a while ago was N990. But today, it is about N1008, if not more.”

Another Nigerian student (name withheld), who is studying at Strathclyde University, explained that the new exchange rate might cause him to drop out of school.

He said, “This new reality has called for a review of the whole plan entirely. Everything has to reset at the end of the year.

“My year is ending in October/November but I now have to review everything. I am running a Ph.D. programme and the cost is 20,000 pounds a year. When we were using Form A and the official rate was about N600, it was about N11m.”

He noted that his budget when he started was between N33m –N35m for the entire programme. He stated, “Now, I will be looking at N20m for the second year and N40m in total for my remaining two years.

“This is causing me to rethink my plans, because I can’t spend that type of money on this. N40m is a lot, especially on those at home that are sponsoring this, it doesn’t sound reasonable. This will impact how I will continue with my course.”

Speaking on the matter, a student currently studying in the UK, who simply identified herself as Shalewa said, “When I started schooling in London in 2017, pounds was about N300 or less. I am still in school and now I had to pay N1,000 for one pound. 19,500 pounds to naira means that my mum will be coughing out millions that she should be using for retirement.”

An international multimedia journalist and student based in the UK, Michael Orodare, noted that the suffering of many Nigerian students is an open secret.

He said while many people had tried to use Form A to pay their tuition fee balance, earlier, banks had delayed with excuses, including issues around tax clearance.

He said, “A lot of students are finding it difficult to pay their tuition. What many Nigerian students here are now trying to do is to use the naira in their account to try and buy pounds which is now more than N1000. This is now more expensive and making fee payment very difficult for Nigerian students.”