UK ban: Nigerians lambast Emdee Tiamiyu over statements made in BBC interview

Nigerians have seriously lambasted Emdee Tiamiyu, a Nigerian YouTuber known for advising Nigerians on studying in the United Kingdom, over statements made during his interview with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

In the interview, Tiamiyu declared that many of Nigerians were not looking for new qualifications, but to start a new life abroad.

He said most Nigerians who applied for schooling in the UK only considered it as an alternative means to escape from Nigeria.

He said, education is a strong means of leaving Nigeria especially for ordinary people and that so many Nigerians don’t need the degrees but hide under the umbrella of education to leave the country.

Tiamiyu’s interview with BBC was due to the new immigration rules that will prevent Nigerian students, and others studying in the UK, from bringing their families or other relatives except under specific circumstances.

The new rule that will kick off in January 2024, the UK will remove the permission for international students to go out of the student route into work routes before their studies have been completed to avoid misuse of the visa system.

However, Nigerians, were totally unhappy about all of Tiamiyu’s statements. They claimed he has destroyed the chances of those who genuinely planned to study in the UK.

Others also described him as an opportunistic unpatriotic citizen of Nigeria, who has using the situation to chase clout.

A Twitter user, identified as Francis Ebuara, told BBC that the person they interviewed (Tiamiyu), only spoke strictly for himself and not for Nigerians.

Also, Chinedu Ike, a Nigerian citizen in UK said statements made by Tiamiyu might later have consequences as he has consciously or subconsciously painted Nigerians as liars on national TV.

He said Nigerians are already painted in negative light around the world, adding to the negative list of things Nigerians are known for is really appalling.

It should be noted that Nigerian students have immensely contributed to UK economy through post-graduate studies.