High Commissioner to Nigeria explain new UK policy wey tighten dia visa application

Di British High Commissioner to Nigeria Richard Montgomery don explain why di UK goment come up wit a new policy wey go sharpaly reduce di number of immigrants wey dey enta di UK.

Remember say di UK Home office bin issue wetin dem call immigration white paper, on Monday, 12 May 2025, to reduce migration and take strengthen di border.

Oga Montgomery give dis explanation as e dey take questions during one press conference for Abuja about how to boost trade relations between Nigeria and di UK.

E tok say 1.6 million immigrants bin enta di UK for di last 24 months, "and e no really dey sustainable".

"We value well-well di skilled workers, care workers, and students wey dey come to study for di UK...but e dey completely contentious and economically questionable to get di level of immigration wey we don see," oga Montgomery explain.

"Wetin di new rule go do na to try to align di labour market to immigration opportunities. Evri goment dey try to create jobs for dia own pipo, evri goment dey try to create incentives for di private sector to invest in skills.

"We don see many Nigerians - and we dey very grateful - wey don come to di UK to work for di care sector, but e dey clear say companies wey dey run di care sector no dey invest in skilling dat sector up, so di new rules dey focus on dat.

"Di pipo wey don already dey dia now, I no think say dem get anything to worry about, dem go still fit move between employers and e no be any issue for pipo wey don already dey work for di UK at di moment.

However, oga Montgomery add say almost 10% of all di visas wey di UK goment bin give pipo for di past two years na to Nigerians, and dis na sign of di important links betwin di two kontris, "and we hope say e go be for mutual benefits".

Nigeria economic reforms dey work

For di matter or trade relations betwin Nigeria and di UK, oga Montgomery say di new economic reforms wey di goment of Nigeria don put in place dey work, and dis policies don make di kontri "more investable".

"Di UK see Nigeria as an increasingly important kontri, as an increasingly large future market for UK trade investment sake of di reforms and di population growth for di kontri," Montgomery tok.

"I realise say some of dis reforms dey painful for di ordinary pipo, inflation still dey high for di mid 20% terriotory, e go take time to bring dat rate down, but we dey see very good prospects for di rate to come down in di coming months and years."

Montgomery also cite di World Bank economic update for Nigeria wey tok say di naira don dey more stable, foreign exchange reserves don go up well-well, and goment revenue collection don increase by almost 90%, and di growth rate don tip up from two percent in 2015 to about 3.5% currently and rising.

"We dey also monitor di second phase of dis economic reforms, di new tax legislation wey go simplify costs and predictability for businesses," e tok.

To boost trade betwin Nigeria and di UK, Montgomery say both kontris bin sign a roadmap - di Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (Etip) - for November 2024, wey be di pillar of di cooperation betwin Nigeria and di UK.

Based on dis Etip, di UK goment don remove tariffs from more dan 3000 products from Nigeria to encourage Nigeria exports to di UK.

Di UK goment dey also assist Nigeria significantly to reduce insecurity for di kontri, thru collaborations wit di office of di National Security Adviser, and also thru humanitarian assistance for di northeast region wia insecurity dey highest, Montgomery tok.

Also, Mark Smithson, di country director for di UK department for business and trade, tok say di current value of di trade relationship betwin Nigeria and di UK na about 7.2 billion pounds.

E say Nigeria na di second largest trading partner for di UK and also di kontri largest export market, although ova 90% of wetin Nigeria dey export to di UK na hydrocarbons - Crude oil.

Smithson say UK dey import more dan six billion pounds or fertilizer evri year, and Nigeria na di 10th largest exporter of fertilizer for di world but na only small quantity of Nigeria fertilizer dey go to di UK.

"Big opportunity dey for Nigerian businesses to export more products di UK," Smithson tok.

E also point out flower exportation as anoda opportunity wey Nigerian businesses fit explore as di UK dey import several billion pounds worth of flowers evri year.