Emdee Tiamiyu has been trending on Twitter since Tuesday following an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC.
Tiamiyu, a Nigerian YouTuber and vlogger, who is known for advising Nigerians on studying in the United Kingdom, declared that many of them were not looking for new qualifications but to start a new life abroad.
He said most of those who applied for schooling in the country only considered it an alternative means to escape from Nigeria.
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’s not like they need the degrees.”
READ ALSO: UK Govt Moves To Ban Nigerian Students, Other Nationalities From Travelling With Dependents
Tiamiyu, based in Birmingham, granted the interview in the wake of the new immigration rules that will prevent Nigerian students, and others studying in the UK, from bringing their families as dependents except under specific circumstances.
Under the new rule, which will take effect in January 2024, the UK will remove the permission for international students to switch out of the student route and into work routes before their studies have been completed to prevent misuse of the visa system.
Nigerians, who felt displeased by Tiamiyu’s submission, said he had ruffled the chances of those who genuinely planned to study in the UK.
Others also described him as a clout chaser who was seeking popularity.
Dr Penking said: “Because of Emdee Tiamiyu; You can no longer take your dependents to UK on student VISA, You can’t switch to work visas until you finish studies, They will clamp down on using agents, POF might increase, Student VISA might be completely scraped of, Make him famous.”
In another tweet, Dr Penking shared a picture of Tiamiyu on board an airtight and said: “This is Emdee Tiamiyu on his way to UK in September 2022. He entered the UK with same dependent route on September 2022. Less than 9 months after he entered UK, he closed the boarder against his kinsmen and lineage with his mouth.”
READ ALSO: 128,770 Nigerian Students Moved To UK In Seven Years- HESA Report
Another tweep, Daniel Regha, said: “Emdee Tiamiyu is a mindless clown. Nigerians are already being stigmatised, our country has a negative image but instead of correcting the wrong perceptions he deliberately threw Nigerians under the bus for views and cheap clout. Ignorance is a disease. Hope karma visits him soon.”
@ushiebuaras tweeted: “Dear @BBCNews, Nigerians have been made aware of a video showing your interview with one “Emdee Tiamiyu” who claimed that Nigerians do not go to the UK because they need the degree. For the avoidance of doubt, your interviewee has spoken strictly for himself & not for Nigerians.
“Over the years, Nigerians have demonstrated a high level of intelligence & passion for education. This you can attest to by the number of Nigerians that are awarded the yearly Chevening & Commonwealth Scholarships by the UK govt. All of these awardees successfully completed their programs and are doing excellently well in different parts of the world. Even those who have gone to study in the UK without any form of scholarship, have painstakingly did so because they believe in the high standards of British education.
“The young man who appeared in your interview is most likely out of touch with reality, or got into the UK through a dubious process or he is probably not a Nigerian.
“Please disregard his incoherent and despicable allegations. Thank you. @BBCWorld”
@Adetoba wrote: “I think he just made himself the face of this a decision that his interview has no impact on. Maybe he was excited that his face would be on BBC but I do not think he said anything the government was not already aware of and acting(acted) on.”
@whitenigerian on his part tweeted: “To 8 of my staff who Japa’d to the UK in the last 2 years, if the policy change and you must return back to Nigeria thanks to Emdee Tiamiyu, your job is waiting for you. I dey miss una die 🫣
“On the one hand, if all the Nigerians he has “helped” to the UK via study visas were interested in immigration rather than education, then Emdee Tiamiyu is an unscrupulous individual who should be scrutinised by the UK Home Office,” @fisayosombo weighed in.
In another tweet, Dr Penking said if Tiamiyu were Igbo, the tribe would have suffered a massive slander.
“For one second, just imagine that Emdee Tiamiyu were from Imo State, or Anambra or Abia or Enugu or Ebonyi . By now, the Igbos would have suffered a massive slander in these streets. I can list the persons that would have been the ring leaders. Those people are very quiet now.”
Tiamiyu while reacting to the onslaught targeted against him hosted a Twitter Space on Tuesday where he explained that he was not out to seek popularity with 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 a popular broadcaster, Ifedayo Olarinde aka ‘Daddy Freeze’, Tiamiyu said he was considering striking a balance between being real and being diplomatic.
He said: “There is a future here, and I know there are 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.”
However, almost 24 hours after the interview went viral and amid the continuous trolling, Tiamiyu has tendered a public apology to those who were offended by the interview