A number of the universities in the United Kingdom, UK, face bankruptcy as the numbers of international students from India and Nigeria – the most populous countries in Asia and Africa respectively – have declined. This might not be unconnected with UK policy that bans foreign students from bringing their dependants (that is spouses and children).   In 2023, data revealed that India and Nigeria had the highest numbers of immigrants to the UK with 253,000 and 141,000 respectively. With the policy in place, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led government implemented to cut migration, it is understood that Indians and Nigerians are looking to other destinations that provide education and accommodation for their families. Meanwhile, the UK’s policy is taking its toll on the universities as they deal with financial crises, according to The Times, disclosing that about 15 universities currently considering cutting jobs, and courses this academic year. The report said many more have announced cost-saving plans that could lead to redundancies or courses being scrapped to save tens of millions. Aside from the decrease in the number of non-research degrees students barred from bringing their families to the UK, the Home Secretary, James Cleverly also suggested that visas which allow students to work in Britain for two or three years after graduation should be scrapped. Currently, students face fewer teaching staff, lower quality, and fewer options as universities struggle to reduce costs in response to a reduction in the number of wealthy foreign students. University authorities have therefore warned of “really difficult” cuts, such as stopping entire courses and laying off academic staff, as a loss of one-third of international students threatens to put several institutions into the red. Also, The Times disclosed that Nigeria’s economic crises might have caused a collapse in applications to UK universities while Indian students are also being deterred as the government cracks down on visas. Tuition rates have effectively been unchanged for more than a decade, and with most colleges now losing money on domestic students, they have offset their losses with international students who pay significantly more. Over the last four years, numbers have increased by 60%, reaching 560,000. However, early acceptance data predicts a 37% decline in overseas admissions in the coming fiscal year. Data from Nigeria will be down 71% after a sevenfold increase in enrolments in four years saw the country overtake the entire EU with 33,000 students at British universities. Bankruptcy in UK universities Speaking about the crisis, the Executive Secretary of the Committee of University Chairs, John Rushforth said, “I’ve been in higher education for 30 years and senior leaders are more worried than I’ve ever seen them…bankruptcy is a realistic possibility for some institutions and universities are having to do really difficult things to stave that off. “Taking fewer British students is a last resort but if you’re making a loss on something people have to consider it. Everything has got to be looked at because the situation is so serious. “Universities have to think hard about what they want to protect and make choices about divesting themselves of things that are not core to the institution. There will be less choice for students. A lot of institutions have introduced lots of modules so that students can pick and choose. That’s expensive, so it may be that you go back to more generic courses.  Fundamentally, either you have to increase income, or you reduce quality or volume.” Universities to stop some courses In the bid to discontinue some courses, humanities subjects and languages are bearing the weight of the losses. The University of Kent has just disclosed plans to discontinue nine courses, including philosophy, contemporary languages, and comparative literature, while Aberdeen is scrapping single honors language degrees, and Winchester is discontinuing numerous humanities courses. Oxford Brookes is dropping music and reducing its history department, while several other universities are planning unspecified cost cuts. Impact of foreign students from Nigeria Northumbria University, Newcastle is among those to have cited economic turmoil in Nigeria, whose currency has collapsed against the pound, for the need to make cuts in the face of a “very sudden reduction of the number of students” coming from the country. A spokesman for Northumbria University said, “The university’s financial position was very strong but the current financial outlook is weaker than anticipated.” “This is a consequence of a combination of fixed home undergraduate fees, difficulties around recruitment of international students, and the ongoing impact of inflation.” Corroborating the submission, Rachel Hewitt, chief executive of MillionPlus, the group for newer universities, said, “The economic crisis in Nigeria presents difficulties for any university seeking to recruit from that country. “The existing tuition fee model coupled with high inflation has seen their income fall year on year, meaning institutions have to make difficult choices and do more with less.” According to the report from The Times, she also blamed ministers, saying, “It is impossible to imagine the government going out of its way to make Britain less inviting to investment in almost any other sector and yet every negative headline and policy reform that makes Britain less attractive to international students damages both the higher education sector and UK plc.”

  The Anambra local government service commission has sacked six deputy directors for “possessing fake certificates”. Vincent Ezeaka, chairman of the commission, said it also uncovered 210 suspected ghost workers in the system. He said the affected deputy directors claimed to be products of Imo State University, adding that investigators are expecting more responses from other universities across the country. Ezeaka said the move is part of the commission’s quest to foster professionalism and stop all forms of corruption in the LG system. “As for the ghost workers, who cut across the 21 local government areas of the state, we have removed them from the workers’ payroll,” he said. “The discoveries were made possible through a dedicated back-to-back personnel audit and the deployment of staff biometrics identification and verification, using a state-of-the-art clock-in-clock-out digital attendance register.” Ezeaka added that the discovery brought to the fore the numerical strength of the physical staff in the unified local government system of the state. He said certificate screening would become a continuous exercise within the commission. “Having completed the screening of Grade Levels 15 and 16, the certificate screening of Grade Level 14 and below shall commence in earnest,” he said. “This is all aimed at flushing out fraudsters and all forms of certificate racketeering in the local government system.”

  The Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State where sixteen soldiers were killed have been razed. There are strong allegations that some angry soldiers may have perpetrated the act after their colleagues were killed. Meanwhile, manhunt for the killers is still ongoing and some arrests have also been made by the soldiers led by the General Officer Commanding 6 division Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam. Residents of the coastal community are said to have fled to neighboring Ughelli for fear of a reprisal by the soldiers who have been patrolling the creeks. Channels Television reported that fourteen lifeless bodies of killed soldiers were in the early hours of Saturday recovered by soldiers of the joint task force under the supervision of the General Officer Commanding 6 division Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, at Okuama community, in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. Some of the recovered corpses were said to have been beheaded, while the stomachs and hearts of others were ripped off. At the NDDC jetty in the coastal Delta community, the bodies of the commanding officer and the two killed majors were seen floating by the river bank as others were separated on land. The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, has ordered a probe into the tragic killing of four senior officers and 12 soldiers. It was gathered that the slain military personnel responded to a distress call after the communal crisis between the Okuama and Okoloba communities, both in Delta State, before they were killed on Thursday, March 14. Confirming the incident in a statement on Saturday, the Acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said the victims were surrounded by some community youths when troops of the 181 Amphibious Battalion were on a peace mission in the Bomadi Local Government Area of the state. “The unfortunate incident occurred when the troops responded to a distress call after the communal crisis between the Okuama and Okoloba communities both in Delta State,” the statement read. “The reinforcement team led by the commanding officer was also attacked, leading to the deaths of the commanding officer, two majors, one captain, and 12 soldiers.” Arrests Made The defence spokesman said the incident has been reported to the Delta State Government, adding that the CDS has also directed that the culprits be unmasked. According to him, some suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident. He also reiterated the commitment of the military to its mandate of maintaining peace and security in various parts of the country. “The Chief of Defence Staff ( CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has directed the immediate investigation and arrest of those involved in the heinous crime. The occurrence has been reported to the Delta State Government. “However, the military remains focused and committed to its mandate of maintaining peace and security in the country. So far, a few arrests have been made while steps in place to unravel the motive behind the attack.”

  In compliance with the directive of President Bola Tinubu on immediate reopening of land border with Niger Republic, the Controller, Nigeria Customs Service, Kebbi State command, Iheanacho Ojike, has reopened Kamba land border. While re-opening the border, Ojike said Kamba is a strategic border with a major share in Kebbi State revenue generation. This was contained in a statement signed by the spokesman of the command, SP Mohammed Saliu, and made available to newsmen on Sunday. “The border reopening was aimed at paving the way for legitimate trade that would impact positively on nation building, not permission for importation of prohibited items that would threaten the economy and compromise national security. “Men of the command are ever ready to facilitate legitimate trade and act within the ambit of the law to simplify trade across Kamba border seamlessly as long as stakeholders import what is permitted by Customs extant laws, make proper declaration and pay appropriate duties to the Federal Government coffers. “Let me also make it known that food grains are still prohibited for exportation out of the country, considering the scarcity of food in the country,” Ojike said. Responding, Mallam Fana, the district community head, commended the efforts of the Federal Government while emphasising the new wave of hope the border re-opening will give to his people who have interest in cross-border businesses.

  The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to recall Senator Abdul Ningi who was suspended for three months over his allegation of budget padding. Ningi, the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, was suspended for three months over an interview in which he alleged that the National Assembly padded the 2024 N28.7 trillion budget as against N25tn. He was quoted as saying, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu, and the one was implemented by the presidency. “The one approved by us is N25tn while the one operating by the Federal Government is N28tn.” Two days after his resignation as the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum, Ningi was replaced by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (APC Katsina Central). In a statement dated March 16, 2024, and made available to PUNCH Online on Sunday, March 17; and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group urged Akpabio “to immediately reinstate whistleblower Abdul Ningi who was recently suspended from the Senate over his allegations that the lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion.” SERAP equally told the Senate President to refer the allegation to the country’s anti-graft agencies – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission, which would improve public trust in the Senate. The statement asked that Akpabio should “urgently refer the allegations that lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution. “Referring these allegations to appropriate anticorruption agencies would be consistent with the lawmakers’ oath of office and the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended).” Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on Monday, expressed full support for Ningi during the State Executive Council meeting, saying, “I made it clear that I stand firm in our support for Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, of Bauchi Central.” Meanwhile, SERAP followed suit, saying, “What Senator Ningi has done is a positive act of good citizenship. No whistleblower should ever be penalised simply for making a public interest disclosure.” SERAP also urged Akpabio “to make a public commitment to discontinue the patently unlawful constituency projects in the next budget cycle.” The statement continued, “Without inside information, corruption is hard to detect, prevent, and combat. Rather than suspending Senator Ningi, the Senate ought to have used his allegations as a trigger for addressing the lingering problem of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects. “Referring the allegations to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would improve public trust in the ability of the leadership of the Senate to ensure probity and accountability in the budget process. “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel you and the Senate to comply with our requests in the public interest.” The organisation expressed its concern “about the opacity and lack of accountability in the spending of public funds on constituency projects since the return of democracy in 1999. “SERAP is seriously concerned that years of allegations of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects have contributed to widespread poverty, underdevelopment, and lack of access to public goods and services.”