This comes after the students have paid their tuition to their various universities of choice.
Outrage greeted the announcement of Poland to close its Embassy in Abuja today, Monday, August 15, 2022, without attending to the visa applications of many Nigerian students, SaharaReporters has learnt.
This comes after the students have paid their tuition to their various universities of choice.
At least address this issue. School begins first of October, fees have been paid, all necessary arrangements have been done and the only thing lacking is an appointment date. It is really frustrating. Please I recommended you make a post on when dates will be available so we prep
— meliko graham (@meliko_graham) August 12, 2022
The Poland Embassy on Friday, August 12 announced on its official Twitter handle @PLinNigeria that Embassy in Abuja would be closed today.
The tweet read, "Due to public holiday in Poland, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Abuja will be closed on 15 August 2022. All Appointments Scheduled On 15.08.2022 (Monday) has been rescheduled. Information has been sent on email address used during registration."
It's obvious some "connection" is going on... Some few agents are probably informed of when they make available dates reflect on the portal and those charge exhorbitant fees if you want to get a date ...business!
— Ike_Brazen Hussy 🇺🇦 (@isaacosoro_) August 12, 2022
However, the announcement did not go down well with Nigerians who had applied to study in Poland Universities and had paid their tuition fees, expecting to resume in school as soon as possible.
They accused Embassy officials of extorting and exploiting Nigerians because of the university educational crisis in the country.
They explained that in April 11, 2018, the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ambassador Tarnawska had during a session invited people to study in Poland, but added that regrettably what their Embassy in Nigeria was doing was simply a scam.
Let us all create a WhatsApp group and we plan a protest…. Let’s mobilize ourselves to their embassy and seek for justice…. We can’t keep paying to those agent.
— Endsars ✊✊✊ (@omo_fabeku) August 13, 2022
One of the intending students who described himself as candidate for Senator John Godson, said, "According to the agreement between the Agent and the University. The University refunds 100% tuition if the candidate is refused in the visa application but to get a refusal you have to make an appointment, which is not possible.
"So according to the attached contract, University pays Agency from 15% to 30% of first year tuition fee for each enrolled student. The tuition fee is 3500 EUR so Agent received from 525 EUR to 1050 EUR and according investigation he shared with consulate staff (attached list).
Important notice❗️due to problems with the telephone line ☎️, please contact us by e-mail📧until communication is restored📡 pic.twitter.com/ruWJecj1z7
— PLinNigeria (@PLinNigeria) November 30, 2021
"That's not all, Agent takes extra money from Students 450EUR as per attached file. So he totally earn from 975 EUR to 1500 EUR and share with Polish Embassy. The rest are sponsoring the Universities in Poland."
A student who goes with the Twitter handle @meliko_graham wrote:
"At least address this issue. School begins first of October, fees have been paid, all necessary arrangements have been done and the only thing lacking is an appointment date. It is really frustrating. Please I recommended you make a post on when dates will be available so we prep."
Another user @isaacosoro_ tweeted: "It's obvious some ‘connection’ is going on... Some few agents are probably informed of when they make available dates reflect on the portal and those charge exorbitant fees if you want to get a date ...business!"
Which appointment? For over a year someone can’t book appointment and you are here tweeting like the embassy works. Scam
— IKPOBA HILL VAN GOgH🔺 (@blaze__27) August 12, 2022
Another student, @TruthBall3, tweeted that the Embassy is making people pay “N500,000 to secure an appointment”.
"They are making people pay 500k for appointment date!!! Half a million!! I was told to do so but I couldn’t find myself being so stupid. The Embassy in Nigeria is fucked up real bad. They turned it to a business."
They are making people pay 500k for appointment date!!! Half a million!! I was told to do so but I couldn’t find myself being so stupid. The Embassy in Nigeria is fucked up real bad. They turned it to a business
— TruthBall (@TruthBall3) August 12, 2022
Another student applicant @blaze__27 tweeted:
"Which appointment? For over a year someone can’t book appointment and you are here tweeting like the embassy works. Scam"
"They treat people. Consular Attaché Wojciech Bocianowski, is an intelligence agent and negotiates ransom, Head of Consular Section Paulina Wybranczyk only screams, she just finished study in 2017-10-26, she working as Head of Consular Section less than one year." https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/xmlui/
“Private number +48 601 674 774 for public information but when you call she did not want help, but number form embassy are silent. They had their phone turned off for several months, and they admitted that the line is not working."
People are frustrated and want to protest
SaharaReporters reported in 2021 how Nigerians and other international students were being treated by Polish universities.
However, efforts to reach officials of the Polish Embassy secretariat via the telephone numbers listed on the website – (general matters/inquires): +234 807 663 1021, secretariat (consular matters/inquires): +234 805 200 0204 – were not successful.
It's obvious some "connection" is going on... Some few agents are probably informed of when they make available dates reflect on the portal and those charge exhorbitant fees if you want to get a date ...business!
— Ike_Brazen Hussy 🇺🇦 (@isaacosoro_) August 12, 2022