99,985 Nigerian students left for UK varsities in 5 years — Minister

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says statistics indicate that no fewer than 99,985 Nigerian students left the country to enrol in universities in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2022.

The minister disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the 2023 University of Lagos International Week on Monday in Lagos.

The theme of the international week is ‘Breaking the Borders of Partnership’.

“Every year, over 100 Nigerian students benefit from the scholarship for postgraduate and PhD degrees. I speak from students personally; we have hundreds of professionals and entrepreneurs leaving our shores to break new ground across our lands.

“And on our part, we must ensure that we play our part in the actualization of their dreams. They carry our identity, one that not only aids their pursuit but also defines them.

”According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), reports have shown that about 99,985 Nigerian students left this country to enrol in universities in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2022.

“While many may contend that the majority of these students have simply ‘JAPA’ for other reasons, we cannot also deny the fact that a larger chunk of these students have left with the purest intent to seek further knowledge for self-advancement.

“Now, in going all through this, therefore, I may want to ask why our students should now suffer to acquire international passports, even when they have paid for them.

“Their pursuit of breaking new grounds across borders is one that gives us great joy, as through our children, we sustain the future,” he said.

The minister said the ministry had commenced the automation of the end-to-end passport application process and had given a timeline from which Nigerians would begin to experience the “sweet experience.

“By implication, Nigerians will not need to wait longer than two weeks before they get their passport.

“By January next year, Nigerians will be able to complete this application process online, and by February next year, with collaboration and partnership with other relevant stakeholders, Nigerians will have their passport delivered to their homes, offices, and other locations of their choice,” he stated.

According to him, this will also be extended to the visa application process, with technology deployed throughout the entire process to make it as seamless as possible.

The minister said to achieve this, his office had set everything into motion to open 12 more visa application centres across the world.

“In this regard, we are also working on strengthening our visa-on-arrival policy.

“We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enforce the principle of reciprocity, and a committee has been set up in the ministry to achieve this,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo noted that the theme of the event reminded citizens that the challenges faced as a people were not confined by geographical boundaries.

He said that whether it was addressing climate change, promoting global health, ensuring peace and security, or fostering economic prosperity, the world was more interconnected than ever before.

According to him, there is a need to embrace partnerships that transcend borders to tackle these complex issues effectively.

“In breaking the boundaries of partnership, we are not using rhetoric. We lead from the front. This was strongly expressed by President Bola Tinubu while recently addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78),” he said.

The minister expressed his unwavering faith in the transformative power of education and research.

He said that together, citizens could break the borders that hindered collaboration and unlock a brighter future for Nigeria and, by extension, Africa.

"Let our academic community be at the forefront of this noble endeavour, inspiring the next generation to build a Nigeria that thrives on unity, innovation, and shared prosperity.

“I am making this call to the academic community, using this citadel of learning as a point of contact. As custodians of knowledge, you have a pivotal role to play.

"I implore you to continue your invaluable work, not only within the walls of your institutions but also in the broader context of our society.

“Through innovative research, academic recommendations, and a forward-thinking curriculum, you can instill in our new generation of Nigerians a profound understanding of the imperative of collaboration over competition.

“Your academic recommendations hold the potential to reshape policies and practises. Engage with policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society to ensure that your insights are translated into action.

“Advocate for evidence-based decision-making that prioritises the welfare and prosperity of all Nigerians,” he said.

On his part, the keynote speaker at the event, Prof. Iain Gillespie, Vice Chancellor, University of Dundee, U.K., said institutions, industries, and policymakers across the globe must work together to address common challenges.

According to him, partnership has the ability to bring about expertise and capacity.

“It requires genuine alignment of good and equitable relationship to deliver meaningful impact.

"Universities, on their part, are indeed meant to be centres for commitment to excellence in knowledge, character, and service to humanity.

“They must strive to transform lives locally and globally through triple intensity to deliver on social purpose,” he said.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, said that at the turn of the 21st century, the world had started to come to terms with the impact of globalisation.

She said this was so in all its ramifications for how life would be lived in the present and in the future.

According to her, the global higher education sector was not left out, as it was itself both a driver of and a respondent to the changes being witnessed.

She noted that there was growing recognition among its managers on the place of universities and like institutions as research, teaching and learning arenas.

Ogunsola said managers believed that if such institutions were going to be valuable to the knowledge economy of the 21st century, they would have to adapt to the imperatives of internationalising higher education.

“As we all know, the productivity of academia as the gateway to a knowledge economy is enriched by the cross-fertilisation of thoughts and ideas that add depth and breadth to knowledge and understanding.

“It is against this backdrop that the University of Lagos adopted its internationalisation agenda and strategy about a decade ago.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, for all its negative impact, was unprecedented in its elevation of awareness that those at the vanguard of the knowledge economy would need to take urgent action to evolve a new culture committed to promoting local and global knowledge sharing, partnerships, and collaborative actions to advance teaching, learning, and research.

“Like never before, it became clear that the world had indeed become a global village, and we all need to be talking to one another, teaching and learning from one another, and collaborating with one another to unlock the potential of research for solving human problems.

“But the pandemic did even more; it compelled the world to fast-track its embrace of technologies that enable us to break down the traditional barriers of time and space. What more leverage do we need for internationalising higher education?

“My strategic plan, which is premised on four cardinal pillars, namely: financial reengineering, infrastructural development, research, and manpower development, with the acronym "FIRM,” aims to make UNILAG future-ready, yielding inquiring minds, discoveries, sound character, and a globally impactful workforce while addressing the developmental needs of today.

“In this plan, internationalisation remains a veritable route to foster the improvement of the quality of education and research, as well as expose our staff and students to global best practises and assist them in making meaningful contributions to society in an increasingly globalised world,” Ogunsola stated.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr. Sonny Echono, said the organisation was working hard to promote internalisation in terms of scholarship.

He said that it had offered scholarships to over 40,000 scholars to do their Masters and PhD programmes abroad.

“We want to also be able to attract foreign students from all over the world to come to Nigerian universities, and we can only get this done by improving not just our curricula to be globally competitive but also ensuring that we have a stable academic calendar.

“Our lecturers must also take up the responsibility of ensuring that when they supervise the postgraduate students, they do so on time, so that the duration of the programme will not be too long.

“I am pleased with the quality of guest speakers that gathered here from across the globe to focus on issues of our linkages, partnership, collaboration, and building capacity to attract international grants, participate in multidisciplinary research, and be able to find joint solutions to global challenges,” Echono said.