[cdimkpa]

The father of the Manchester-bound girl was being naive. He prepared poorly prior to the first interview at the embassy. I am almost certain that typical of Nigerians, he would have walked to the VISA officer majestically and cockily, hoping to be begged to 'come take the VISA'. It does not work that way, what with the bad 'ambassadors' that many Nigerian students out in Europe are to Nigeria.

And, once any doubt has been created, it becomes a problem to erase such doubts. Unlike yours sincerely (no immodesty intended), many Nigerians are studying in Europe on their own (OTO). By OTO I mean without scholarships, yet they were able to secure student VISAs from the embassies back home. There is indeed a difference between company funds and personal funds, even if the company belongs to the person in question. By no means should he expect the embassy to begin to attempt to confirm the ownership of the company from the CAC.

Before approaching the embassy, he could have done some of the followings:

1. Get in contact with those who passed through the process before him to seek their opinion.

2. Transfer reasonable funds from the company account to his personal accounts long time before approaching the embassy.

3. Make an arrangement with the foreign university by way of paying the fees and rentals for at least the first session and depositing some maintenance funds with the students affairs. The university will then provide him with documentations regarding this transaction, that will expedite the VISA process. This worked for a friend of mine and now he's concluded the program.

4. On the other hand, the man could get his company to offer a scholarship to the girl so that the company account can be then acceptable at the embassy.

Postscipt:

It beats me to imagine that Togo and all such countries have become a favorite destination for Nigerian students. If this be the case, the Nigeria's situation is pitiable.