The Nigerian Federal Government has stepped in to address the deportation orders issued against Nigerian students at Teesside University in the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Christian Okeke, representing the Nigerian Embassy in the UK, along with leaders of the Nigerian Students Union in the UK, will meet with the university’s management to seek a resolution. This intervention follows a virtual meeting chaired by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM). The meeting, held on Sunday, included Okeke, Union President Yemi Soile, and several affected students.
NiDCOM spokesperson Abdur-Rahman Balogun confirmed the planned intervention in a statement on Wednesday. During the meeting, the students shared their experiences and expressed hope for a favourable outcome.
Dabiri-Erewa advised the students to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands. She also appealed to Teesside University to treat the students fairly and justly.
The issue gained attention after some Nigerian students staged a protest on May 22, 2024, in response to directives from university authorities for the students to leave the UK, citing non-payment of school fees by some students.
