Unpublished THISDAY Comment

Gozney: We’ll Review UK Visa Process : Original Article
By Tokunbo Adedoja, 06.01.2007

With the difficulty being experienced by many Nigerian visa applicants in accessing the on-line facility - internet connectivity, the British High Commission yesterday promised to review the process so that people can go to the Visa Application Center in good time without an appointment.
Reacting to the column yesterday by THISDAY Editor, Olusegun Adeniyi, titled “The Scam in UK Visa Process”, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Sir Richard Gozney, who had earlier called before sending a written response said the process was designed for the convenience of and not against Nigerian applicants.
He also said “if an applicant pays at GTBank in advance but then explains to us by e-mail that they cannot make the application online ( [send email to info@ukvac-ng.com via gmail] info@ukvac-ng.com or [send email to visa-lagos@fco.gov.uk via gmail] visa-lagos@fco.gov.uk) and does so before 30 days are up, we will refund the money.”
The full text of the letter personally signed by Gozney and addressed to Adeniyi reads:
“Dear Editor of THISDAY,
“When a Director of one of Nigeria’s most prestigious newspapers slates the British High Commission, as did Olusegun Adeniyi on 31 May in THISDAY, I need to reply and to try to explain what we are doing.
“The UK Visa operation in Nigeria is one of the UK’s biggest and busiest in the world. We take all complaints seriously.
“Since March 2006 UK Visa customers in Nigeria have been able to lodge their applications at one of 5 Visa Application Centres operated by our commercial partner VFS.
“Each Visa Application Centre has a GTBank facility where customers can pay their visa fees. Many of our customers prefer this one-stop-shop arrangement where they are dealt with on a first-come, first-served basis.
“For those customers who wish to save time when they attend a Visa Application Centre we offer a pre-payment facility which allows them to pay their visa fees up to 30 days in advance at any one of a network of GTBank branches throughout the country. “They can also make an appointment to visit a Visa Application Centre via the VFS website. Both the VFS website and the visa fee deposit slip make it clear that the fee receipt is valid for 30 days from date of payment.
“Why 30 days?
“We operate to stringent accounting procedures and do not wish to hold unaccounted for funds on our books for longer than necessary.
“At the same time we need to avoid where possible having to arrange refunds - a time-consuming process for staff and customers alike. And it is fair to say that most people prefer not to leave their money in someone else’s bank account for any longer than necessary.
“So we decided on a period of 30 days which we believed was sufficient time to enable customers to pay in advance and then complete all the procedures.
“This has proved to be the case for the overwhelming majority of customers who have taken advantage of the pre-payment facility since it was introduced in March 2006.
“Sometimes customers have difficulty in accessing the on-line facility - internet connectivity cannot always be depended upon - and are instead obliged to attend the Visa Application Center in good time without an appointment.
“We will look at our website again to see if we should not make this option clearer. We shall also make it clear, in a new decision prompted by Olusegun Adeniyi’s experiences, that if an applicant pays at GTBank in advance but then explains to us by e-mail that they cannot make the application online ( [send email to info@ukvac-ng.com via gmail] info@ukvac-ng.com or [send email to visa-lagos@fco.gov.uk via gmail] visa-lagos@fco.gov.uk) and does so before 30 days are up, we will refund the money.
“On a separate point the UK’s visa fees are standard around the globe and Nigerian customers are in no way discriminated against.
“Since March 2006 we have processed over 300,000 UK visa applications in Nigeria. We conduct regular customer surveys and the most recent one indicated a 97 per cent satisfaction rating. “We shall continue to try to satisfy the 3 per cent who are unhappy, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi and his wife among them.
“It is unfortunate that circumstances conspired against Mr. Adeniyi when his family applied for a visa earlier this year. But at least their experience has prompted us to look again at one aspect of our visa process.”THISDAY

COMMENT:

Written by john eme on 06/01/2007

I could on the fly pick a lot of holes in Mr Grozney’s response.
As a Nigerian Economic Refugee Resident in the UK, I submit thus:
Contrary to Mr Grozney’s insinuations “At the same time we need to avoid where possible having to arrange refunds - a time-consuming process for staff and customers alike. And it is fair to say that most people prefer not to leave their money in someone else’s bank account for any longer than necessary.” it does not take heaven and earth to arrange a refund. As a responsible and corporate entity, the High Commission is akin to adopting the same refund policy that is obtainable in this country; OR Is another policy is meant for Nigeria and Nigerians as well. I can go into my local ADSA, TESCO or B&Q store and buy goods worth over £300; if for any reason i am not satisfied with it and decides to return it to the store, there and then my money is returned to me either by my original method of payment or vouchers. This is applicable not only to store purchases but across service providers. I see no reason why the same is not obtainable in Nigeria. His Excellency’s excuse does not suffice here.

Secondly, we would like to know how many of those 300,000 people were given visa to the UK; as for those unsuccessful applicants, it is money well earned for Her Majesty. I guess as always, Nigeria they say is good for business. I wonder, if it was not the same poll method that reported ‘Nigerians were the “happiest people” around’ sometime ago was used in this purported survey. If His Excellency must know 10/10 people i know that have being to the High Commission in recent times have view different from the aforementioned percentage. Permit me to differ and hold that in my survey 100% of my respondents were utterly dissatisfied.

As for Mr Adeniyi and His family, they fall into the category of Nigerians that have voice(s); they can speak, they have spoken and they have been heard as confirmed by His Excellency “When a Director of one of Nigeria’s most prestigious newspapers slates the British High Commission, as did Olusegun Adeniyi on 31 May in THISDAY, I need to reply and to try to explain what we are doing”. It is all about spin and spinning. How about my 100% that do not have voice(s); could have spoken was not heard or was heard and ignored? Mr Adeniyi may not have been the first victim, moreover 3% complaints by consumers is enough to launch an investigation by a regulatory agency in the UK here. What have His Excellency done to placate these voice-less citizen since that report was received?

Our government have paid lip service to the maltreatment of Nigerian by embassies and high commissions for too long. I challenge anyone out there to tell me if these people do not need us more than we need them. The earlier we come to terms with this, the better. I do not intend to bring the new government into this argument; however, they should be mindful of who they will nominate and subsequently confirm the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Our ability to tackle these shenanigans begins and ends with it.

Editorial:

It is unbecoming of thisday not to publish readers at the sametime not to offer reasons as to why such decision was taken. As Mr Eme stated above, you seem to be part of those that are not giving ear to the voice of the said voiceless.

We expect you to give everyone’s voice the hearing it demands, the much you can do is to add your editorial disclaimer. Gaskya.

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