The Nation Newspaper

Tag: UK

  • UK to deport man over wife’s low salary

    UK to deport man over wife’s low salary

    A South African, Michael Engel, is set to be deported from the United Kingdom (UK) after a court ruled that his British wife’s salary was not high enough.

    Mr. Engel, a 31-year-old living in Cornwall, said he and wife Natalie plan to go back to South Africa with their 18-month-old daughter Nyana.

    A Home Office spokesman said the rules were designed to stop foreign spouses from becoming reliant on UK taxpayers.

    The BBC reports that the couple were told of the immigration tribunal’s ruling after they had appealed on the grounds of a right to family life.

    Responding, Engel said the “bizarre” Immigration System Rules were “attacking British citizens”.

    However, under the rules that were introduced in 2012, British citizens who want to bring a foreign spouse to the UK must earn £18,600 a year and a further £3,800 – a total of £22,400 – if the couple have a child.

    Mrs. Engel’s business made £19,786 in 2014 which was deemed not enough by the tribunal panel, which met on 3 December.

    She said the decision made her feel like her family was being “kicked out” of the country.

    She said: “I’m gobsmacked, lost for words, angry and deflated. I’m not so proud to be British right now.”

    But Judge Michael Wilson, who heard the appeal, said UK taxpayers “should not be expected to have to financially support the appellant in the event of him not obtaining work”.

    The couple are now awaiting a deportation date.

    Mr. Engel said: “We did everything in our power to tick all the boxes.

    “They are just attacking the wrong people – they are attacking British citizens.”

    Engel and Natalie met in 2009 while working on a cruise ship and lived in South Africa for four years.

    They moved to the UK in January 2013 with Mr. Engel on a holiday visa, living first in Yorkshire and then in Cornwall.

    In a statement the Home Office said: “Our family rules were brought in to make sure that spouses coming to the UK do not become reliant on the taxpayer for financial support.

    “This is fair to applicants and to the rest of the public, and has been upheld by the Court of Appeal.”

    Average gross full time pay in Cornwall was £23,305 for the year ending April 2014, compared with £27,195 for the UK, according to the Office for National Statistic.

    North Cornwall Liberal Democrat MP, Dan Rogerson, said in October: “It’s absolutely right that anyone who comes to settle in this country has the resources to do that and is not going to claim benefits straight away.

    “But I think it’s also important that we get the thresholds right, so that in low income areas like Cornwall, we are not disadvantaging people.

    “We need to keep families together who want to settle here.”

  • Nigerians, others spend £4million on choice UK property every week

    Nigerians, others spend £4million on choice UK property every week

    What has Ebola and Boko Haram got to do with wealthy Nigerians acquiring property in London? A  report says Boko Haram and Ebola have seen an increase in Nigerians investing in the United Kingdom property market  

    A report in yesterday’s London Mail has detailed how African, especially Nigerian, buyers are spending almost £4million on London property every week. The report said they were snapping up exclusive investments in the United Kingdom.

    “Super-rich oligarchs are taking their vast resources and investing them in the safe haven of London property – with more than £600million spent in the capital in the past three years. A mixture of traditional reasons combined with increased terrorism and the outbreak of Ebola is said to be behind the dramatic influx of African money to the capital.

    “While African buyers only account for 1.5 per of transactions in the ‘ultra prime’ London market, they make up five per cent of sales by value – up from two per cent. This is by typically spending between £15million and £25million on each home,” said the report.

    The report said the interest of Nigerians and other wealthy Africans in London property has gone up since the Ebola outbreak and continued terrorism from as Boko Haram and others.

    Beauchamp Estates, which sells some of London’s most expensive homes, yesterday released a report on African buyers in the capital.

    Nigeria leads five other countries, Ghana, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Senegal, on the list of big time players in the UK property market.

    The report reads: “Nigerians are the biggest spenders, with wealthy nationals forking out £250million on London homes in the last three years.

    “The new wave of super-rich includes Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian business magnate who, with a £16billion fortune, is Africa’s wealthiest man.

    “Folorunsho Alakija, a billionaire oil tycoon, fashion designer and philanthropist from Lagos, is also a big investor in the London property market. She recently bought four apartments in One Hyde Park, the super-exclusive development in Knightsbridge.

    “Her British-born nephew Rotimi Alakija, who also goes by the stage name of DJ Xclusive, has also invested property in the capital.

    “It is thought other tycoons have also been eyeing up homes on Kensington Palace Gardens – known as Billionaires’ Row.”

    Managing Director, Beauchamp Estates, Gary Hersham, said he has had three super-rich Nigerians enquiring about homes in the past week alone.

    He said: “ I’ve had an upturn in African buyers over the last few months. The situation in West Africa at present is pushing rich African buyers back into Central London at a significantly higher level than is normally experienced.

    “While war, disease and terrorism in West Africa grab media headlines, actually for super-rich Africans its domestic wealth, cultural ties to London, general safety and education for their children that are the key attractions for buying a home in central London.”

    Hersham said these super-rich look to buy property in the ‘platinum triangle’ — Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge.

    The report added: “Around 80 per cent spend between £15million to £25million on a residential property, with ten per cent spending more than £30million. If they are not buying, they are renting luxury homes for up to £15,000-per-week and staying for between six weeks and three months per year.

    “London’s reputation for having a residential property market, which is secure and a stable investment, is one of the main reasons wealthy Africans are buying, according to Beauchamp Estates. Another reason is historic cultural and community ties.

    “Nigeria is a Commonwealth country and there is a community of 70,000 in London. There are a similar number of Ghanaians in the capital. The third reason is education, with King’s School Canterbury, Wycombe Abbey, Cheltenham Ladies College, Eton, Harrow and Bradfield are among the favourite private schools for wealthy families from Africa.

    “According to the Nigerian embassy, Nigerian nationals spend more than £300million-a-year on tutoring, accommodation, fees and equipment at British schools and universities.”

    Hersham added: “ It is going to be the African century. Continental African buyers or luxury tenants in London are currently where the Russians and Ukrainians were five years ago. At present virtually all the transactions are for end use, not rental investment, which indicates that the African buyer market in London has significant room for growth and maturity. Nigerians have been long standing property purchasers in the central London market, going back to the early 1980s.

    “However, in the 1980s and 1990s they typically purchased houses in North London, in Hampstead, St Johns Wood and Primrose Hill.

    “Now, enhanced wealth has enabled them to move into the ultra prime market in Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge, and have been joined by affluent purchasers from other West African and French equatorial states.”

  • Kwankwaso is a progressive gov — Nigerians in UK

    Kano State governor, Dr RabiuKwankwanso, has been described as a progressive governor that can deliver the nation from the predicament it is currently facing.

    Speaking during a reception organised for the governor, by a group of Nigerian professionals in the United Kingdom, Kwankwansiyah Ambassadors of Nigeria (KAN), Diaspora, the Coordinator General of KAN Diaspora, Dr Ibrahim Emokparie, highlighted the challenges facing the Nigerian nation and concluded that Nigeria would fare better under Kwankwanso.

    The event which was massively attended by representatives of the Movement for Visionary Elites, Progressives Solidarity Forum, All Progressives Congress, (UK Chapter), Media, Civil Society Organizations, local authorities and various groups representing the Nigerian community in the UK described Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso as the man who ticks all the boxes of a credible and visionary leader with the acumen and the capability to move Nigeria forward from its present position.

    In his welcome address, the Coordinator highlighted the challenges facing the Nigerian nation ranging from insecurity, corruption, executive lawlessness, impunity and a total lack of direction for the growth and development of the country. He lamented the unprecedented weaknesses with which the current PDP administration reacts to these major challenges. He spoke on the impact of Engineer Kwankwanso’s policy on education, poverty alleviation, infrastructural development and transparency and identified him as the most progressive Governor that can deliver the Nigerian nation. He therefore strongly called for a total support to ensure Kwankwanso’s emergence as the presidential flag bearer of APC.

    The event was graced by prominent Nigerians like Alh. AminuAdamu, Deputy Chairman APC UK, Elder DuroLawal, Chief Charles Ebun-Amu, Charles Lawson, Chief Akinsanmi and the moderator of the event Mr KazeemOlasupo and many others.

    In his address, Adamu attested to the transparency of Governor Kwankwanso’s administration in Kano state and emphasized that his laudable achievements are unparalleled. While stressing the governor’s transparent style of administration by upholding probity and accountability throughout the state civil service, he encouraged everyone to support Kwankwanso as the APC presidential candidate.

    In his remarks, the Event Moderator, Mr KazeemOlasupo said that Nigerians have made errors in the past in choosing wrong leaders and that we must not allow the opportunity to elect a credible president to elude us in the 2015 election.

    Mr Charles Lawson said he came from the same region with President Jonathan but noted that Nigeria needed a leader who will salvage it from its present state of hopelessness. “So, I am ready to mobilise the Niger Delta Youths for this man,” he added.

    Also speaking, Elder DuroLawal maintained that the occurrence at the event and the video shown has gone far to convince him that Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso was the right man for the job. We must do everything possible to ensure his emergence not only as the Presidential flag bearer of the APC but as the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2015,” he stated. He ended his speech by re-echoing the much touted lingo at the event that “Nigeria does not need a boy but a man to do the job of salvaging the country.”

     

  • Ex-Mint boss detained ahead extradition to UK

    Ex-Mint boss detained ahead extradition to UK

    Former Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) Managing Director Emmanuel Ehidiamhen Okoyomon is to be extradited to Britain for trial.

    Attorney-General of the Federation Mohammed Bello Adoke(SAN) has filed extradition papers in the Court in Abuja as a precondition for Okoyomon’s relocation.

    An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Okoyomon has been arrested and detained by the anti-graft agency in preparation for his presentation to the court for extradition.

    Britain is seeking Okoyomon’s extradition over his alleged role in the bribery allegation involving officials of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Security, Minting and Printing Company (NSPM) and Securency International Pty of Australia between 2006 and 2008.

    “The AGF will argue the application for the extradition in court and once it is endorsed by the judge, we will extradite Okoyomon to the UK,” the source said.

    Okoyomon was the chief executive of the NSMPC until November 2013 when he was suspended by the Board of the CBN in the wake of the N1000 notes disappearance scandal.

    According to some sources, the extradition was approved by the Federal Government, following substantial investigation into the scam by the EFCC in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the British National Crime Agency (BNCA).

    It was learnt that the outcome of the investigation revealed a “kind of international network and the diversion of the bribe sums into slush accounts in the UK and Canada”.

    Okoyomon has been under investigation since 2012, following a request by the British National Crime Agency.

    “The request for extradition also followed the discovery by the Australian authorities that some CBN and Mint officials received bribes and kick backs from Securency Pty Limited, a polymer substrate producing company for the contract to produce N20 polymer notes for the CBN between 2006 and 2008.

    Another source gave some insight into the findings of the EFCC and international agencies involved in the probe.

    The bribes were routed through offshore accounts in the UK and other jurisdictions

    The EFCC investigation uncovered a web of forgery, identity fraud and money laundering running into millions of naira.

    The erstwhile Mint boss allegedly used the names of his driver and clerk to open bank accounts in which he diverted funds without their knowledge.

    He allegedly forged a driver’s licence with the photograph of his driver but bearing a different name belonging to his official clerk to open the account in which N368million proceeds of laundered bribery funds were traced, with Okoyomon as the sole beneficiary.

    “Over N750million is alleged to have exchanged hands between officials of the CBN, the NSPMC and Securency International Pty of Australia (now Innovia Security Pty Limited).

    President Umaru Yar‘Adua launched the N5, N10 and N50 polymer notes  on September 30, 2009 at the Presidential Villa.

  • UK trade deficit narrows in August

    The gap between the United Kingdom (UK) imports and  it s exports narrowed in August, the latest official figures show.

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the UK’s trade deficit in goods and services stood at £1.9bn in August, compared with £3.1bn in July.

    But the narrowing was down to a fall in imports rather than a rise in exports.

    Separate figures from the ONS also showed a fall in output from the UK’s construction industry.

    Construction output dropped by 3.9 per cent in August after a 1.9 per cent rise in July, the ONS said.

    Goods exports fell by £0.7bn to £23.2bn in August, the ONS said, although most of that was attributed to a fall in oil exports, particularly to countries outside of the EU.

    Imports fell more, by £2bn, narrowing the goods trade deficit to £9.1bn.

    In contrast, the UK continues to run a surplus in its trade in services, selling more abroad than it buys in.

    Analysts said the narrowing of the trade deficit did not detract  from concerns over the health of the eurozone, and the impact that is having on UK exports.

    “It’s easy to see why exports are declining,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit.

    “Growth has slowed sharply in the eurozone, with even Germany facing the possibility of a renewed recession. Sanctions with Russia are clearly hurting European trade.

    “In addition, just as demand is slumping, sterling’s appreciation is making UK goods less competitively priced in overseas markets.”

    Manufacturers said there was a persistent downward trend in exports.

    “The trend in exports remains downbeat,” said Lee Hopley, chief economist at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation. “While some of the decline can be attributed to oil, there has been a slide in manufactured exports generally over the past year.

    “The data provide yet another reminder that the export part of the rebalancing equation continues to face some significant challenges.”

    There were further worrying signs for the UK economy in separate construction industry figures released by the ONS.

    The 3.9 per cent fall in output in August was the first drop in 18 months, as housebuilding and infrastructure construction slowed.

    It is also in direct contradiction to other surveys of the construction sector, which suggest homebuilders have been expanding their output consistently this year.

    “We suspect this is a wholly inaccurate representation of the sector’s health, and that construction in fact continues to boom,” said Markit’s Chris Williamson. He blamed changes to the way the ONS reports its data to comply with EU rules for “skewing” the data.

    Markit’s own survey data suggests construction continued to expand strongly into September.

  • BA excites travellers with lower fares to UK, Europe, others

    BRitish Airways (BA) and its partner, Iberia Airlines, have launched what could best be described as the most amazing offer of the year.

    The new offer, which is available for trips to the United Kingdom (UK), and select destinations in Europe, affords customers the unique opportunity to purchase a ticket for their companion for as low as N50,000, and N100,000 to US and Canada.

    Known as the ‘Companion Fare’, the new promo comes in celebration of Nigeria’s 54th Independence anniversary and are available for purchase from September 24 until October 15.

    According to the airline, with N50,000, BA/IB customers travelling to London and other destinations in the UK, Europe and North America from Lagos and Abuja in the World Traveller (Economy) class can extend to their companions or loved ones, the opportunity to experience the unparalleled service within the luxury ambience of BA cabins while those on a trip to Canada and US from Lagos and Abuja can travel for as low as N100,000 each, all fares excluding taxes.

    Giving details of the offer, British Airways Regional Commercial Manager for West Africa, Mr. Kola Olayinka, said the Companion fare is available for the customers to book at all British Airways and Iberia call centres and travel agents in the country.

    He said: “This is our way of saying thank you to our customers for their support over the years especially as we celebrate Nigeria’s Independence Day. We have realised the importance of companionship while travelling, so, with this offer, we are telling our customers to take a companion or loved one along on their next trip to UK or other destinations in Europe, and pay just N100,000 for two tickets and N200,000 for two tickets to US and Canada.

    He, however, advised customers to hurry to confirm their bookings, to confirm their seats on these amazing return fares.

  • NBCC-UKTI sets for Anglo- Nigerian centenary celebration

    NBCC-UKTI sets for Anglo- Nigerian centenary celebration

    Foremost chamber of commerce, the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce(NBCC) in partnership  with United Kingdom (UK) Trade Investment has announced plan to celebrate the centenary of  Anglo-Nigerian trade relations slated for November, 2014.

    The celebration is expected to further re-awaken and strengthen trade relations between Nigeria and Britain.

    Speaking with journalists at a press conference in Lagos, the President NBCC, Prince Adeyemi Adefulu described the relationship between the two countries over the years as multi-faceted which necessitated the celebration. “The trading relationship which evolved over the years between the two countries has been extensive and far reaching,” he said.

    According to him, the ceremony which is to be a three-event affair  will begin with a Centenary Lecture at Muson Centre, Lagos on November 11, followed by the Chamber’s day celebration on November 12 at Lagos International Trade Fair expected to be on at that time. The event will continue with Presidential Dinner /Award on November 21 at Civic Centre; the Award will be in 12 categories. The event is expected to be chaired by a past Head of State with other stakeholders in attendance

    He said though there might be up and down in the relationship between the two countries, he said Britain has remained one of the biggest foreign investors in the country.  He said: “The trade relations between Nigeria and British which grew to £8 billion from  £4 billion in a mere four years has merely scratched the surface.“ He is optimistic that it might hit £20 billion within the next six years if the governments in the two countries remain pro-active, with the right policies in place.

    Adefulu described Nigeria as a land of immense opportunities which is yet to be explored.  He however called on the government to provide enabling environment that will be iattarctive to foreign investment and encourage export of Nigerian goods adding the Chamber will continue to stand as facilitator of trade between the two countries for mutual benefit.

  • UK flies home national who contracts Ebola in Sierra Leone

    UK flies home national who contracts Ebola in Sierra Leone

    British national living in Sierra Leone has tested positive for Ebola, the first Briton to fall victim to the deadly disease that has spread across the West African region since March, the Department of Health said on Saturday.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that the current Ebola epidemic – the world’s worst ever with 1,427 documented deaths – will likely take six to nine months to halt.

    Some aid organisations, including medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, have warned that the outbreak, which began in Guinea before spreading to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, is now out of control.

    The WHO conceded on Friday that the hiding of victims and the existence of “shadow zones” where medics cannot go has concealed the true scale of the epidemic.

    Britain’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer John Watson confirmed a British national was among those suffering from Ebola and said medical experts were assessing the situation in Sierra Leone to ensure appropriate care was provided.

    “The overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low,” Watson said in a statement.

    No further details about the British national were immediately available, and it was not known whether there were plans to evacuate the patient.

    Ebola, which is passed on by direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons, strikes hardest at healthcare providers and caregivers who work closely with those infected. And dozens of local doctors and nurses have died from the virus in recent months.

    Two American aid workers, who contracted Ebola in neighboring Liberia and were then evacuated, recovered from the disease and were released from a hospital in the United States earlier this week.

    Fear, stigma and denial have led many families to hide their infected loved ones from health officials. In other instances, patients have been forcibly removed from treatment facilities and isolation centers, creating the risk of the disease’s further spread.

    Under-reporting of Ebola cases has been a problem, particularly in Liberia and Sierra Leone, currently the two countries hardest hit by the virus.

    Lawmakers in Sierra Leone on Friday voted overwhelmingly in favor of making the harboring of those infected with Ebola a crime carrying a punishment of two years in prison.

    “The new regulation will provide for summary trial, meaning trial by a magistrate court alone,” Justice Minister Frank Kargbo told Reuters.

     

    As the outbreak has spread across borders from its initial epicenter, governments in the region have introduced increasingly strict travel restrictions.

    The government of Ivory Coast announced late on Friday that it had closed its land borders Guinea and Liberia to try to prevent the virus from crossing onto its territory.

    Ivory Coast, French-speaking West Africa’s largest economy and the world’s top cocoa producer, had previously imposed a ban on flights to and from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

    Liberia’s Nimba County, which shares a border with Ivory Coast, has seen the number of Ebola cases balloon in recent weeks. According to Moses Massaquoi, the head of Ebola case management at Liberia’s health ministry, 65 cases including 25 confirmed patients have now been reported there.

    “The number of cases in Nimba has spiked recently and it is now an area of concern,” Massaquoi told Reuters.

    The WHO does not recommend travel or trade restrictions for countries affected by Ebola, saying such measures could heighten food and supply shortages. But residents of Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan voiced support for the government’s decision.

    “I don’t think simply closing the border is enough. We need to go even further,” said Romaric Kouadio, a laboratory technician.

     

    The Philippines on Saturday ordered 115 soldiers to return home from peacekeeping operations in Liberia due to the outbreak there.

    Brussels Airlines, Belgium’s largest carrier, said on Saturday it was cancelling flights to the capitals of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for Sunday and Monday due to new restrictions put in place by Senegal’s aviation authority.

    The company’s flight to Freetown on Friday was denied permission to land for a crew change at the airport in Senegal’s capital Dakar, and the plane was forced to continue on to Casablanca for an unscheduled landing.

    Senegal, West Africa’s humanitarian hub, had announced earlier in the day that it was banning all flights to and from countries affected by Ebola. It also blocked a U.N. aid plane from landing in Dakar.

    “We cannot fly like that. It is pretty dangerous,” Paul Delafaille, Brussels Airlines’ country manager in Sierra Leone, told Reuters.

    A spokesman for the airline, in which Germany’s Lufthansa owns a 45 percent stake, said it was exploring options that would allow it to resume service to the three countries.

  • Nigerians benefit from UK scholarship programme

    Nigeria has been listed as one of the countries to benefit from scholarships under the Scholarship UK programme.

    Mrs. Olanike Fadahunsi, Business Development Manager, Knowledge Development Opportunities (KDO) Inspire, whose firm is driving initiative in Nigeria, said the programme would encourage Nigerians to get training abroad that can fast-track the country’s development.

    She said the scholarship, which provides up to 70 per cent tuition fee-waiver, was made possible by some organisations which came together to make education abroad more affordable, and to facilitate cultural exchange.

    In the United Kingdom (UK), the average cost for tuition is between £9000 and £14000 for postgraduate courses, but with the programme students can study for less than £4000 pounds (about N640,000).

    Apart from the UK, she added that students can now apply to institutions in Russia, Belarus, Cyprus, Malaysia and China.

    She said: “Scholarship UK is a programme organised by several partner universities and education consultancies around the world. Although initially intended to provide scholarships and tuitions waivers for UK universities, the programme has opened up to other countries…and the list keeps growing.

    “Governments are also getting involved and sponsoring indigenes of their states. Recently, the Enterprise Bank started offering loans which cover the portion of fees not covered by the waiver to make things even more convenient for parents and guardians.

    “The benefits cannot be quantified when our graduates return from foreign countries and begin to apply the expertise they have gained over their course of study. Parents are proud because employers seem to show favouritism to these graduates.”

    She said prospective students would take a test tagged “The Europe Connect Scholarship and Tuition Waiver Test (ECSTWT)” after registering online.  Those successful are then allowed to select the most suitable university from the options availbale.

  • UK varsities on alert as intakes arrive from Nigeria, others

    UK varsities on alert as intakes arrive from Nigeria, others

    Universities in the UK have been put on alert to be ready for a potential outbreak of the Ebola virus when the new term starts in September.

    Universities UK, the umbrella body that represents vice-chancellors, has written to every university giving detailed guidance on how to deal with an outbreak. The decision was made to send out the guidance because universities are expecting thousands of new students to arrive from West Africa.

    While the three countries which have seen the largest number of Ebola cases – Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone – have hardly any students enrolling at UK universities, Nigeria – which has had confirmed cases – is the fourth largest supplier of international students to UK universities. In 2012-13, the latest year for which figures are available, a total of 9,630 were enrolled.

    A spokesman for Universities UK said: “The issue is very much on universities’ radars. We circulated to universities the publicly available guidance on the topic.”

    The guidance makes it clear that anyone suspected of having Ebola should immediately be isolated in a side room away from any staff or student contact.

    “The side room should have dedicated en-suite facilities or at least a dedicated commode,” it says. “The level of staff protection is dependent on the patient’s condition.” Those having any dealings with the patient must take careful hand hygiene precautions, wearing double gloves and a disposable visor.

    The guidance reassures university staff: “Evidence from outbreaks strongly indicates that the main routes of transmission of infection are direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membrane) and indirect contact with environments contaminated with splashes or droplets of blood or body fluids.

    “Experts agree that there is no circumstantial or epidemiological evidence of an aerosol transmission risk from patients.”

    So far, there have been more than 1,060 deaths and 1,975 confirmed sufferers, but the World Health Organisation warns that the crisis is likely to continue for months.

    The outbreak was first identified in March in Guinea.