“We as Nigerians only need to fix our own country,” folks react to UK ban
“We as Nigerians only need to fix our own country so … our lives and future will [not] depend on the whims and caprices of another country’s decisions and policies”
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Nigerians on social media have advised fellow citizens to look inward and fix their country rather than blaming the United Kingdom for placing a ban on the dependants of healthcare workers from foreign countries.
Some lamented how the policy will negatively affect the families of healthcare professionals who migrate to the UK but others counsel, it is “their country, their choice. Nigerians only need to fix our own country so we would never be in this sort of situation …. ”
The UK has barred emigrating health and care workers from bringing along dependants, according to a statement published on the British Home Office website on Monday.
It said the policy is “to cut migration and tackle care worker visa abuse,” citing how a disproportionate 120,000 dependants accompanied 100,000 workers to the UK in 2023.
“Care providers in England acting as sponsors for migrants will also be required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – the industry regulator for Health and Social Care – in order to crack down on worker exploitation and abuse within the sector,” the statement added.
“It forms part of a wider package of measures, which is being implemented as soon as possible, which means a total of 300,000 people who were eligible to come to the UK last year would now not be able to do so.”
The announcement of the new policy has generated a wide range of reactions among Nigerians on social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter).
Below is a summary of the reactions:
Dele Olawale (@dolawanle) (Nigerian UK-based lawyer)
Olawale described the policy “as a home breaker and life destroyer.” Many marriages will be ruined because “many sold their belongings to relocate to the UK either as students or skilled workers.”
Harvey Olufunmilayo (@DrOlufunmilayo)
“I do not understand or endorse this particular policy as it makes zero sense to me.
“How can you say you want people to leave their countries to come to care for your families but you want the same people to leave their own families back in their home countries?
“Again it makes zero sense to me, but it is not my job to tell another country how to run their country. Their country, their choice.
“We as Nigerians only need to fix our own country so we would never be in this sort of situation where our lives and future will depend on the whims and caprices of another country’s decisions and policies.”
@Adasu_d_gr8
The new policy will “affect Nigerians the most because Nigerians are the major people leaving this country because of our leaders in search of greener pastures.”
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Poor welfare drives 16,000 doctors out of Nigeria in 5 years
Health and Social Welfare Minister Muhammad Pate disclosed on Channels Television on March 10 that about 16,000 doctors have left Nigeria in the past five years and about 17,000 have been transferred.
He said the country now has only 55,000 licensed doctors – and overall about 300,000 health professionals, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, and others, to serve a population of more than 200 million.
“We did an assessment and discovered that we have 85,000 to 90,000 registered Nigerian doctors. Not all of them are in the country,” Pate explained.
“Some are in the Diaspora, especially in the US and UK. But there are 55,000 licensed doctors in the country.”
UK can’t sustain immigration numbers
British Home Secretary James Cleverly has explained why the UK cannot sustain migration numbers, which led to the curb on the dependants of healthcare workers.
“Care workers make an incredible contribution to our society, taking care of our loved ones in times of need. But we cannot justify inaction in the face of clear abuse, manipulation of our immigration system and unsustainable migration numbers,” he said.
“It is neither right nor fair to allow this unacceptable situation to continue. We promised the British people action, and we will not rest until we have delivered on our commitment to bring numbers down substantially.”
Cleverly stressed, there is clear evidence that care workers have been offered visas under false pretenses, travelling thousands of miles for jobs that simply do not exist.
Social Care Minister Helen Whately clarified the rules provide a “more ethical and sustainable approach to international recruitment and immigration.
“Our reforms will grow the domestic workforce and build on our success over the last year that saw more people working in social care, fewer vacancies and lower staff turnover.”