How banks frustrate Nigerian students in UK varsities – NANS leader

The Initiator and Trustee of the National Association of Nigerian Students in the United Kingdom, Shoyemi Peper-Hade, tells GODFREY GEORGE about the plight of some Nigerian students in the UK who have been unable to process international payments due to slow response from some banks at home

What are you studying in the UK?

I am a student of Law at the University of Law, London.

How long have you been in the UK?

I have been living in the UK for over 20 years.

In a recent press statement by NANS UK, you lamented that Nigerian students in the country were at risk of deportation. What really are the issues involved?

The issue is very straightforward. First, there is the inability of Nigerian banks to process Form A – a form used for foreign payments – on time. Also, the banks have refused to refund the affected students their money so that they can look for alternatives. We got a message that the university in question, the University of Hull, England, messaged one of the affected banks. They said they had given the bank one week to remit the money into the school’s account, but the bank has not responded to that mail to the best of my knowledge. Now, the affected students are saying, ‘Give us our money back!’ But the bank has refused to do so till date. We are talking about money that was dropped with the bank in September but they have yet to process the payment till now (November 23, 2022) as we speak.

The students are on the verge of being sent home. In fact, the school has told the 11 affected students since November 7 to go back to Nigeria and try again next year. This is very frustrating. We are talking of students who sold a lot of assets to be in the UK in search of education and a better life. It is depressing. They have done everything to make these banks comply, but all to no avail.