A YouTuber, Emdee Tiamiyu has defended his comment on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) against Nigerians traveling to the United Kingdom with students visa.
During an interview with BBC, Emdee Tiamiyu claimed that Nigerians seeking migration to the UK employ the strategy of using education as a deceptive tactic to secure entry into the country.
He said, “The student route is more like an answered prayer. It is a big bracket that’s able to take a lot of people, the ordinary people. We’re beginning to see that a lot of people just hide behind the studentship.
“So the student thing is not real. It is not like they need the degrees. They need the degree as an access road to come into the country, so a lot of this people their priorities shifted real fast.”
The Nigerian UK-based Youtuber noted that while the majority of people genuinely have the intention to study, there is a growing minority who do not share the same commitment.
Emdee Tiamiyu’s comments triggered outrage among Nigerians who labeled him as ‘Judas Iscariout’, accusing him of betraying and selling his country to the UK government.
Reacting to the criticism on Twitter Space, the Youtuber said he is realistic in his dealings and also means every word he said about Nigerians migrating to the UK during the interview.
He said, “I am grateful for being one of the leading voices. I may not be popular. I am not even looking for popularity as long as I have an impact. We have changed lives. God help us with information. Maybe we do a space for that.
“If you have not been on my page before and now you want to shine, are you serious? If you want to shine, ask BBC to interview you too. I mean every word that I say. I talk real, I am very very real. DJ Real is learning from me. I am very humane and personable.”
In a separate video chat with media personality, Daddy Freeze, the Youtuber said people should know they will always offend others when they are real, noting that he was considering striking a balance between being real and being diplomatic.
“There is a future here and I know there is still more opportunities to do great things. I would have to find a balance between being real and being diplomatic because if you want to be real, you will offend people.
“People don dey curse you since because you were mentioning why are they japaring [migrating abroad]…” Emdee Tiamiyu said.
Watch the video below:
KanyiDaily recalls that the UK government has now enacted a law that will prevent Nigerian students, and other foreigners studying in the country, from bringing family as dependents except under specific circumstances.