Schooling in London is
often regarded as a privilege that never comes on a platter of Gold to an average Nigerian, a visa to London is like a ticket to heaven with rigours and meticulous scrutiny suffered by innumerable applicants at the embassy. Fortunate students that eventually pass through the golden gate and make the trip to the United Kingdom bear the burden of hope cast on them by anixious families, relatives, friends and neigbours.
Sadly, this hope appears to be misplaced as some of these students end up in the streets of London as prostitutes,gigolos, strippers and guests at nude parties and sex clubs. It is said that “when a man is tired of London , he is tired of life for there is in London all that life can afford”. It was further revealed that some Nigerian students including ladies have lost the flame of their academic quest as some of them have ended up as victims of crime in the United Kingdom.
Quite disturbing was the shocking revelation of Nigerian students who dropped out of their universities and colleges for wild goose chase for love and British citizenship. A large number of these students smartly divert the fund sent by their Nigerian parents for studies in their romantic adventures with the hope of getting British Citizenship. Most of them get trapped at the end of the relationship, some even go as far as arranging court marriages which often have a boomerang  effect because of the tightening of the system by the immigration office.
However, this does not disprove the fact about some honest Nigerian students who truly fall in love with older women, maintain the relationship, nurture the children from such relationship and live a happy life thereafter, but those who abuse the system make dating difficult for the genuine ones.
Apart from the university dropouts and those that shine at drinking parlours, strippers at nude clubs, sex hawkers and prostitutes at red-light zones and gigolos who spend their youthful energy on the flapping laps of grandmas, some Nigerian students take up menial jobs such as toilet cleaning, security, etc to survive while still in school. Only a few skilled ones get employed in part time jobs in the technological and medical areas amongst other jobs.
One thing is that although clubbing and parties make many students to forget their books, Nigerian students rarely associate with drugs, because of the fear of deportation and discontinuation of their academic studies. It was also gathered that Nigeria has the third highest international students population in United Kingdom (UK), competing with China and India.
Inspite of these fallouts, several Nigerian students who focused on their studies have gained good employment in the UK, some travel round the Europe for one big job or the other, these bright stars shine in faraway lands, while their fatherland dwells in darkness, sadly several of them turn their backs at home, forgetting the sacrifice of their parents and guardians during their years of study.
Investigation has revealed that among the cities in the United Kingdom, London, a city of about eight million people and the capital city of England and the United Kingdom attract more Nigerian students than others. Their choice of London could be because it is an international city, well revered for its academic, technology and tourist nature.
It also houses the seat of the central government of United Kingdom (UK) Downing Street (where the queen of England lives), Scotland yard and various government offices and departments. It is famously accorded the financial capital of the world after New York City.
London has lots of attractions like London Bridge, National Theatre London, Eye and many other historical monuments, Landmarks and gardens as well as the Nothinghill Carnival, the largest street carnival in Europe with over a million visitors.
Culled from Daily Sun.

Artistes performing on stage at a Port Harcourt Night Club