A Nigerian student battling kidney disease faces deportation from the UK over tuition fees.
Sue Agazie, a Nigerian Ph.D. student, is currently facing deportation from the UK over her inability to pay her tuition fees.
Agazie, a Ph.D. student at Newcastle University, who is battling with kidney disease, has been told to leave the UK by July 20 or make a new application to stay, the BBC reports.
However, she has protested the decision, claiming she was promised funding by her supervisor when she was recruited for her programme. Agazie was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease in September 2023 and requires a kidney transplant and ongoing medical treatment. She dreads returning to Nigeria, where she claims quality healthcare is unaffordable, equating it to a “death sentence.”
She is on a waiting list for a blood transplant and says she has to check her blood pressure “almost every two or three hours.”
She says the university did not need to immediately report her to the Home Office as her inability to pay her fees is directly linked to her complaint. The university said “all international students are subject to strict Home Office rules” and must “legally follow sponsor immigration guidance, informing United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) of certain changes”.
Agazie has filed an official complaint against the university for failing to fulfill promised support and for their alleged hostile treatment. Currently, in debt of £2,000 and reliant on food banks, Agazie criticizes the university for not taking her disability seriously and for being actively hostile to her.
She said:
“I’ve been really surprised by the way the university has treated me.
“This is not what we were told – it is not the way British universities are sold to us in our country.
“The university is meant to protect and support me.”
The university asserts that it is investigating her complaint and offers support through its Student Health and Wellbeing Service.