Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has said that the federal government is yet to be officially informed by the Britain government regarding the £3,000 bond it intends to fix for Nigerians who intend to travel to the UK.
Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru indicated that there was need for the government to receive a formal proposal from the UK in respect of the issue before taking any action.
Britain is putting in place a policy that would require visitors from Nigeria and five other countries whose nationals are deemed to pose a “high risk” of immigration abuse to provide the sum of £3,000 (about N750,000) before they can enter the country.
“I don’t really want to say much about that because the Nigerian government has not had any formal communication with the British government over the issue. We have to receive a proposal from them (and) look at it before we now know what to do,” Ashiru said.
The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, has described the policy as discriminatory and unacceptable. In a statement issued on Monday (June 24) in Abuja, the lawmaker said such a policy would not be in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians, adding: “it is unworkable and impractical, as it was targeted at non-white Commonwealth countries.”
According to Ukeje, the decision was political and breached an agreement entered into by Nigerian authorities and Prime Minister David Cameron. Ukeje added that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs would take a critical look at the policy as it affects Nigerians and come up with a way forward.
