THE
Federal Government on Tuesday insisted on retaliatory action against
British citizens if their government went ahead with its plan to
impose a £3, 000 visa bond on visitors from Nigeria and five other
Commonwealth countries.
It expressed displeasure that Downing
Street, which had already set November as the discriminatory policy’s
commencement time, had not deemed it necessary to formally communicate
to it on the next step of action.
The Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, had at a meeting with the British
High Commissioner, Andrew Pocock, conveyed the desire of Nigeria to
retaliate the policy.
The spokesperson for the ministry , Ogbole
Ode, said in a statement in Abuja, that the British authorities were
already aware of the Federal Government’s position on the matter.
The
statement reads, “Media reports in Nigeria on Monday, July 29, 2013,
indicated that the United Kingdom Government will begin to implement
from November, 2013, the £3,000 cash bond for first-time visa
applicants from Nigeria, and five other Commonwealth countries. The
other countries are India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
These media reports themselves were quoting the Financial Times of
London.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to receive any
official communication on the final decision of the UK government on
this matter. The Federal Government has already conveyed its objection
to the bond payment to the UK government. This was done when the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ashiru, summoned the British
High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Pocock, to the Tafawa Balewa
House, on June 25, 2013.
“If and when a communication to that
effect is received, the Federal Government will take appropriate steps
to reflect its national interest. ”
When contacted, the spokesman
for the British High Commission in Abuja, Rob Fitzpatrick, said, “No
final decision has been made” on the controversial policy.
He
said, “As British Prime Minister David Cameron has said, we want the
brightest and the best to help create the jobs and growth that will
enable Britain to compete in the global race. So, for example, if you
are an overseas businessman seeking to invest and trade with world class
businesses, one of the thousands of legitimate students keen to study
at our first-class universities or a tourist visiting our world class
attractions, be in no doubt: Britain is open for business.”
It
will be recalled that Ashiru, at the meeting with Pocock, warned that
the government would retaliate the discriminatory policy.
On Monday the British government defended a campaign advising illegal immigrants to “go home or face arrest.”
Two
trucks, each displaying a large poster with a number for migrants to
send text messages if they desired to return to their countries ,
were seen in six London boroughs for a week.
It was learnt that
posters, leaflets and advertisements in newspapers would run for a
month to further promote the campaign, a pilot scheme by the interior
ministry.
A member of the Liberal Democrat Party, the junior
partner in the coalition government with the Conservative Party and
Business Secretary, Vince Cable, called the campaign “silly and
offensive.”
The opposition Labour Party’s home affairs spokeswoman, Yvette Cooper, also said the scheme was “ludicrous.”
But
Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman defended the campaign,
saying it was clear that it was “already working” as some illegal
immigrants had voluntarily agreed to leave the UK
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