[REVEALED] Japa: Nearly 100,000 Nigerian students travel to UK in five years

Statistics have shown that about 99,985 Nigerian students left the country to enrol in universities in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2022, in a development that has been part of japa syndrome (the exodus of Nigerians to relocate abroad for better education and living).

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) disclosed this stating that Nigeria came third after China and India among the top countries with their students undergoing academic programmes in the UK.

In the figures released, there were 10,685 students that enrolled in the UK universities in the 2017/18 session while the numbers slightly jumped to 10,810 students in the 2018/19 academic session.

The following years eventually experienced an exceptional increase as HESA recorded 13,020 students enrolled in the 2019/20 session, and further grew to 21,305 students participating in the UK academic programme in the 2020/21 session.

The most recent figure disclosed by the UK educational data agency put the number of Nigerian students at 44,195 in the 2021/22 academic session.

According to statistics by SBM Intelligence, Nigerian students and their spouses contributed nearly £2 billion to the British economy in the 2021/22 academic session.

While many Nigerians – both students and professionals are still battling to relocate abroad, the Rishi Sunak-led British government is working on new restrictions that will check Nigerian students seeking to study in the UK varsities from bringing their spouses and children.