Nigerian students in the UK were reminded of the importance of building communities during a meeting in Great Manchester, United Kingdom. In his speech, the ambassador also reassured students and professionals that resolutions are being made to the impending restrictions among international students on bringing dependent relations to the UK.
In a recent meeting with the Nigerian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Sarafa Tunji Isola, Nigerian international students and lecturers were encouraged to become more proactive in making meaningful connections to build communities while reassuring them that immigration challenges are being resolved.
Amid the impending restrictions on dependent visas for Nigerian international students, Isola gave his word that a resolution is being put together as a recent immigration restriction was put in place among international students.
By 2024, only foreign students taking post-graduate studies are allowed to bring dependents. Isola stated that this issue is another challenge in the history of the Nigerian diaspora that–he reassured–will be resolved.
“A challenge is meant for human beings to solve and we will also solve that. We are being challenged on account of dependent relations that come with the students, it’s a challenge but we will resolve it. Nigerians are very resilient,” Isola said.
Held at the University of Bolton in Great Manchester, Isola also emphasized the need for fostering meaningful connections among the growing number of Nigerian immigrants in the UK.
In stressing the importance of networking, Isola described the observed loss of interaction among Nigerian immigrants due to a modern behavior called “phubbing.” Phubbing is when individuals in a socially interactive setting fail to interact with each other because of being too engrossed in their mobile phones.
The ambassador describes a common scene he witnessed where people lining up for their passport applications no longer interact with each other because they were busy on their mobile phones.
“Sometimes, I will just cease the phone and I will say, hey, some of you go to church, go to a mosque, and says Almighty God should bless you with a helper. And He will place your helper just in front of you and you’ll be there for 30 minutes busy with your phone and you will say God has not answered your prayers,” Isola quipped.
Furthermore, the Nigerian ambassador stated that though he encountered some difficulties in firming up a coordinated network among Nigerian international students due to data protection policies, he is keen on looking for ways to push this endeavor forward.
“I’m not going to give up because I believe that your generation is the one that will take us to where we are going. The diaspora community of any nation is very key. And if you see the way Chinese, British Chinese, and Indian British bond together here, I see no reason why we cannot do that,” the Nigerian ambassador pronounced.
