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Yemisi Sanda, widow of London-based Nigerian, Kole, who was shot dead by suspected armed robbers at a filling station in Lekki, Lagos, has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Hafiz Ringim to fish out her husband’s killers.

Sanda was shot dead few days on arrival from London, when he went to a filling station in company of his cousin, Gbade Amao to buy fuel for his generator. Yemisi said the only thing that would heal her pains was for the IGP to fish out her husband’s killers and bring them to justice.

Yemisi, who was still not in terms with the reality that her husband who left her few days ago had been shot dead, said she was on her way to the mortuary to see if really it was his corpse.
A tearful Yemisi said: “But I believe it is really true because, he can no longer pick his phone calls. My husband could not stay two hours without calling me or his children. It is true, it is true.”
She said her life crashed the day she received the shocking news that her husband, who left her and the children hale and healthy had been killed in a most horrendous manner.
“My husband was shot like a common criminal. He was a very responsible and hardworking man who had been contributing to the economy of the country. Why should he be killed like a common criminal in his own country?”

She said that if her husband had been sick, she may not have been as shocked as she was.
However, a family member, who simply identified herself as Nike, also wants the police to fish out Sanda’s killers. She revealed that the deceased had concluded plans with some expatriates to establish a company in Lagos. She said: “Now, the dream is over. When I discussed with my brother last time he came, he told me that he wanted to contribute in reducing unemployment in the country as the company would have employed about 500 workers.”

Nike berated the security lapses in the country especially in Lagos, alleging that the robbers operated in the filling station for over two hours unchallenged by the police. “The robbers also shot other persons who may have died like my brother.” She said the most painful aspect was that “my brother was pleading with the gunmen to allow him go for treatment as he was bleeding excessively, but the robbers would not let him go as they even warned him not to dare them further. He later bled to death.”

She wants the police to review their security strategies to seeing that more lives were not wasted the way and manner her brother was brutally killed.“If this type of untimely death should continue unabated, it would discourage Nigerian in Diaspora from coming home. It will also discourage investors from coming to invest in Nigeria,” she noted.

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The changes follow a public consultation and were put into effect to “deliver a strong migration system which tackles immigration abuse, while allowing genuine students to study at genuine colleges.”

Sponsorship (Accreditation)

Sponsors wishing to sponsor foreign students at there college or University must have been accredited by either Ofsted or its “devolved equivalents”, QAA, the Independent Schools Inspectorate, the Bridge Schools Inspectorate, or the Schools Inspection Service. By April 2012, all sponsors must acheive “Highly Trusted Sponsor” status and be accredited by a relevant agency. Until then, there will be a limit on the number of sponsorships allowed by institutions who have not yet met the requirements.

English Language Requirements

Students must be proficient in English to level B2 in each of the four disciplines if they are studying at level 6 (undergraduate) and above. For Pathway and other lower courses, a level of B1 is required.

People trying to obtain a visa under the Tier 4 student route who are not attending an undergraduate program or above must provide a test certificate from an independent English language test provider as proof of their English language ability. A university can vouch for a student’s English language ability if they are coming to study at degree level or above.

This requirement may be waived for “truly exceptional students”.

Student funding requirements

Tier 4 visa applicants are now required to sign a declaration that they have enough funds to support their stay in the UK. Only banks statements from UK Border Agency-approved banks will be allowed.

“We shall refuse applications where the bank statements are from a bank which we cannot trust to verify the statements,” the UK Border Agency has stated in their guidance.

Work rights

Students at universities will retain their right to work 20 hours per week and do work placements where the work/study ratio is 50/50. Students at publicly funded FE colleges will still be allowed to work 10 hours per week. Other students will have no work rights, and work placements will have to be at the 66:33 Study/Work ratio.

Dependants

To be able to bring in dependents, a student must be a Government Sponsored student or enrolled in a post graduate course (NQF 7 and above) at a university. The course must be longer than 12 month’s in duration. Dependants are allowed to work.

Tier 1 Post Study Work

The Tier 1 Post Study Work route will end April 2012. This route allows students to work in the UK for up to two years after graduation. During this time the student will have the opportunity to find permanent employment and apply for a Tier 2 visa.

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The agreements mean that Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels will be listed on the agencies’ associated websites, thereby gaining worldwide exposure for all of their establishments across the African continent.

The websites will allow customers to book accommodation with any of Protea’s hotels online. They will also be able to access information related to the hotel chain.

According to Nicholas Barenblatt, group marketing and advertising manager for Protea, the agreements will bode well for the company’s plan to expand further into Africa. “Africa is our stronghold and so expansion has to be done on the continent,“ he said.

Protea already has a presence in eight African countries including Nigeria, Zambia, Namibia and Uganda and is looking to add Angola, Botswana and Mozambique to that list.

Barenblatt further stated the agreements will provide the group with the opportunity to observe how customers engage with the Protea brand in an online environment. Since consumers are more trusting of online portals these days, their task has been made a little easier.

“The agreements we have reached with such diverse global partners are a clear indication that the local hospitality market is both realising its potential and competing equitably on the world stage alongside more established markets,” said Protea sales director Danny Bryer.

Extending Expedia relationship
The first and biggest agreement of the three took place in November 2010 with Expedia, the world’s largest online travel trade company. Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels are now listed on more than 90 Expedia travel sites.

According to Protea, the group has achieved 100% growth year-on-year with the previous arrangement, and the benefits of the expended deal are apparent after just three months.

Expedia’s global lodging strategic accounts director Christopher Michau said that the agency is pleased to extend its relationship with the South African hotel group.

“Protea Hotels’ footprint in Africa, coupled with their leadership position in the local hospitality industry, makes them a highly desirable partner for Expedia,”

More than 60-million potential travellers visit Expedia’s websites, which are accessible in more than 60 countries and 33 different languages.

Protea will also benefit from Expedia’s experts who can advise the group on online distribution strategies, merchandising and promotions.

Exposure to leisure and business travellers
The most recent agreement – with GTA – will allow tourists to book accommodation with Protea through GTA travel sites worldwide, which will feature more than 120 of the South African hotel group’s properties across the African continent and offer the agency’s global network of leisure and business travellers a range of hotels in Africa to choose from at competitive prices.

GTA has been providing ground travel products and services to role players in the tourism industry for over 30 years. Over 21 000 bookings are made each day for the agency’s 35 000 listed hotels in more than 130 countries. 

Luring Asian travellers
Protea looked to tap into the Asian market by partnering with Asian giants, Agoda.com, in December last year, and now 20 of Protea’s properties are listed on the website. This has also given the company access to Agoda.com’s yield control system propriety software, which allows management to control room inventory, prices, content and promotions.

“This partnership will create more opportunities for Agoda customers to enjoy these popular and unique travel experiences,” said Agoda president Robert Rosenstein.

Some of Protea’s establishments now listed on Agoda include safari lodges at the Kruger National Transfrontier Park and a number of the chic African Pride Hotels in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Steady growth
Now almost 20 years old, the Protea Hotel Group was founded in 1984 with just four properties – two in Cape Town and one each in Johannesburg and on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal – in its portfolio. It didn’t take long before the group was able to offer accommodation for budgets ranging from three to five stars.

Protea is today the largest African hospitality group in terms of numbers of hotels, and operates in eight countries as Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels, the luxury division of Protea established in 2001. Travellers in South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda are able to choose from over 100 facilities in major cities, game viewing areas, and the countryside.

Besides offering a home away from home, the company is also involved with the community and has made it compulsory for every hotel as well as head and regional offices to have social investment projects. These include a partnership as sponsor with the Reach for a Dream foundation, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses to fulfil special dreams while there’s still time.

Protea also helps in-service trainees with full tuition fees and, said the company, has managed to retain 90% of graduates to date. Protea’s bursary fund is aimed at trainees at other hotel schools around South Africa, and has contributed nearly R2-million (US$290 000) to the cause.

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