“You can’t talk about Africa without talking about Nigeria. And, they know the trend."
A Nigerian graduate, who was mandated to return home after his master’s programme in Scotland, United Kingdom, has said that the two-year window recently announced for foreign students to stay back after their studies and secure jobs, was a strategy to get skilled labour from Africa.
Umeh, who obtained a master’s degree from the University of Dundee, said he found no opportunity when he returned to Nigeria.
He said, “I came back to Nigeria, I didn’t find a single opportunity.”
Former Prime Minister, Teresa May, had created a policy in 2012 that terminated the stay of foreign students four months after their degree programme ended.
But with Britain’s exit from the European Union gathering pace, her successor, Boris Johnson, is determined to reverse that rule to boost UK’s workforce.
“But, you cannot look at that issue without looking at Brexit. Brexit so far, has been a total disaster.
“The way it is going, they need skilled labour, cheap skilled labour. And where can they get it? Africa.
“You can’t talk about Africa without talking about Nigeria. And, they know the trend.
“They know Nigerian students are brilliant and hardworking.”