Envoy: Nigerians were second largest group of foreign students in UK in 2023

Johnny Baxter, British deputy high commissioner, says Nigerians were the second largest group of international students in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023.

Baxter said Nigeria held the top three positions, rivaling China and India for a long time.

The envoy spoke on Thursday at a panel discussion organised by the British deputy high commission in collaboration with the University of Lagos.

The panel discussion, organised to commemorate the ‘International Day of Education 2025,’ has as its theme, “Leveraging UK-Nigeria educational partnerships for economic growth”.

The International Day of Education is marked annually on January 24.

Baxter said in the last 40 years, over 1,500 Nigerians have received the UK’s Chevening scholarship, adding that 3,400 Nigerians have benefitted from Commonwealth scholarships.

The envoy said education has been one of the most significant towers connecting both countries for many years, adding that it remains a key priority for the UK.

“What is so important is that we have students bringing their expertise into the UK system and vice-versa, but at the end, we have students with international experience coming back to contribute to Nigeria,” he said.

“Between 2017 and 2021, the number of Nigerian students in the UK rose from about 10,000 to now over 44,000, and that is a fantastic success.”

Baxter said education should be a global exchange, describing it as a privilege and luxury to study and make the best of it.

Ayodele Atsenuwa, deputy vice-chancellor, development services at the University of Lagos, urged students to embrace growth opportunities.

Atsenuwa said students should be willing to learn vastly, have excellence-driven mindsets, and take advantage of opportunities to develop nonlinear skills if they want to be valuable.