UK Government Translates Laws Into Pidgin English

Pidgin English among 165 languages translated (at taxpayers expense) to help jobless claim dole

The Department for Work and Pensions has hired a translator who speaks Pidgin, a variant of English, despite only 2 per cent of Nigerians using the dialect.

It means a claimant who tells Jobcentre staff: ‘I wan go job but I no well’, would have his words translated to ‘I would like to work but I am sick’.

Millions of pounds in taxpayer's money is being spent on paying interpreters to help foreign-speaking nationals claim benefits.

Staff at local Job Centre Plus would have also been able to access the translation service.

The Department for Work and Pensions offers translators in 165 languages and used interpreters 271,695 times from October 2010 to September last year.

The most popular language is Polish, which was used more than 51,000 times.

The translation services are contracted out by the DWP

This is followed by more than 22,000 for Slovak and Czech while services for Urdu, Portuguese and Punjab were used far less.

Other languages needed for translation include Vietnamese, Italian, Amharic and the Ethiopian language of Tigrinya.

Translation was needed once each for French Canadian and Icelandic. However, the service for Basque, Catalan, Tongan and Pidgin was not needed.

One of the languages offered in England is Welsh however, this was used only three times.

All services are contracted out by the DWP. One of the companies regularly used, the Big Word Interpreting Service Limited, received £3.5million of public money in one year.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migration Watch, told the Sunday Telegraph: 'This is the height of absurdity. It is essential that when migrants come to this country they learn to speak English.'

Jonathan Isaby of the Taxpayers' Alliance said that people needed to make more of an effort to speak English.

The DWP said the number of times translation services was used is small in comparison to the 15 million people who claim pensions and benefits.

'The cost of interpreting and translation is attributable to the economic downturn and subsequent increase in the number of customers using DWP services.'

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South Africa's Apology: FG Gives Conditions

The Federal Government has accepted the apology tendered by the South African government over the deportation of 125 Nigerians last Friday.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, yesterday in Abuja.

Addressing the media, Ashiru said that the diplomatic row between the two countries is over and they have promised to erect a lasting framework that will forestall such incident from happening again.

He said, “With this formal apology from the South African government, I would now finally say that we are going to move forward and consolidate on our relations.

“We took immediate steps to protect the interest of Nigerians as what the South Africans did is unAfrican. We have never seen that kind of treatment meted out to any other nationals; deporting 125 persons in two days.”

A total of 131 South Africans were deported in retaliation by Nigerian authorities for issues bordering on poor documentation.

“The South African President [Jacob Zuma] will dispatch a special envoy in the next couple of days to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan and convey his regret at the unfortunate incidence that has constituted an irritant in relations between our two sister nations,” Ashiru said.“My South African colleague and I are agreed that one of the ways in which we can avoid incidents that are harmful to our relationship, is to make use of the bilateral structures that already exist, such as the Bilateral National Commission (BNC).

He said that part of the discussions will focus on retraining the immigration officers and police in dealing with immigrants as the two institutions by their indiscretion fuelled the diplomatic row.

On the fate of the deported passengers given the inconvenience they had been subjected to, the Minister said that the issue will be addressed in the discussions between the two countries.

However, he denied that the disagreement between Nigeria and South Africa over the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire and Libya and the botched African Union Commission election for a chairman fuelled the deportations, explaining, “These are separate issues.

Our stand on Cote d’Ivoire and Libya has been justified by events. With respect to the AU election, South Africa broke a gentlemanly agreement that big nations should not vie for the chairmanship of the AU Commission.”

In his contribution, the Minister for State (2) for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad, said Nigeria will no longer accept the maltreatment of its citizens anywhere in the world.

Muhammad said, “The era of big brother is gone. Now it is tit for tat. So it’s not about South Africa but about any other nation.

Time has gone when Nigerians are maltreated for no just reason. We will not stand by and watch Nigerians maltreated for flimsy excuses. This is a message to all the countries of the world.” However, he urged Nigerians to be of good behaviour wherever they may be.

The apology

South Africa had at noon yesterday in Pretoria, its capital, apologized for the deportation through its Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim.

Apologising, Ebrahim, flanked by two diplomats from the Nigerian High Commission, said, “We are apologising because we deported a number of people who should not have been deported. We apologise for this unfortunate incident and we hope this matter will not in any way affect our bilateral relations.

"We've put into place certain mechanisms to ensure this doesn't happen again, and we believe that this matter is closed. We are in contact with the embassy in Nigeria, to see that there are no longer problems, and that any difficulties over vaccination certificates are dealt with before a visa is issued. We understand the reaction of the Nigerian authorities.”

South Africa, the richest country is Africa, is struggling with its reputation for xenophobia - a perception that was reinforced after nationwide attacks on immigrants left 62 dead in 2008.

Also, a minister with the South African Presidency, Collins Chabane, told reporters in Cape Town, early yesterday, that South African cabinet expressed shock at reports, “regarding how African foreign nationals, particularly Nigerians, and other nationals from other parts of the world have been treated" at Johannesburg's main airport.

The joint statement

In a joint statement made by Nigeria and South Africa, they agreed to revive the BNC and Immigration Working Group as soon as possible.

Also, South Africa’s National Department of Health should consider re-opening the vaccination clinic at the Oliver Tambo International Airport so that passengers without the yellow fever card can be vaccinated upon arrival at the airport, rather than be deported.

The two countries also agreed to exchange vaccine batch numbers and details about the official institutions that administer the vaccine for verification purposes at the port of entry and visas will be issued based on the proof of a yellow fever certificate. The airlines will also be informed about the verification process.

They also agreed that immigration officials, who are the first officials to deal with passengers at point of entry, should invite other units (like health) to help if there are challenges and not the other way round.

Finally, when it comes to mass deportations, immigration and health officials should consult with senior foreign ministry officials before taking any action.

Also the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, yesterday, ordered the House committee on Foreign Affairs to submit a report on the matter in three weeks.

The order was subsequent to a Bill sponsored by Honourable Bimbo Daramola (Ekiti/ACN) seeking a critical review of Nigerian - South African Bilateral Relations on economic interest and associated issues.

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S/Africa unveils new immigration procedures as Nigeria accepts apology

South Africa on Thursday apologised for barring 125 Nigerians from the country and unveiled new immigration procedures aimed at ending a diplomatic row between the continent’s two powerhouses.

The dispute blew up after immigration officials at Johannesburg’s main airport last week refused entry to Nigerians, saying their yellow fever vaccination cards might be fake.

Since then, Nigeria has turned away 131 South Africans in retaliation, Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru told reporters in Abuja.

Nigeria says the cards were unnecessary as the country is yellow fever free.

“We apologise for this unfortunate incident and we hope this matter will not in any way affect our bilateral relations,” deputy foreign minister Ebrahim Ebrahim told reporters in Pretoria.

“We’ve put into place certain mechanisms to ensure this doesn’t happen again, and we believe that this matter is closed,” he added.

Ashiru said he had accepted the apology, saying a South African envoy was expected soon to formally apologies for the row.

“Thereafter we will move quickly to ensure that we put machinery in place so that it will be a lasting solution, because we don’t want this to happen again because of our bilateral relations,” he said.

“We felt it was un-African to have deported well over 125 Nigerians in a space of two days,” he added.

Ebrahim said South African officials had agreed to reopen an airport clinic that would allow travellers to receive yellow fever vaccines on arrival. Immigration officials will also need a foreign ministry official’s consent before turning away large groups of travellers.

South Africa, the richest country on the continent, is struggling with its reputation for xenophobia — a perception that was reinforced after nationwide attacks on immigrants left 62 dead in 2008.

The government has moved quickly to mend this latest row.

“Cabinet expressed shock and regret at the reports regarding how African foreign nationals, particularly Nigerians, and other nationals from other parts of the world have been treated” at Johannesburg’s main airport, minister in the presidency Collins Chabane told reporters in Cape Town earlier Thursday.

Ashiru on Tuesday had accused the South African authorities of targeting Nigerians.

“What you see playing out is what we call xenophobia by South Africans against all Africans — not just Nigerians — including even those from their neighbouring countries,” Ashiru said.

Nigeria had been certified as free of yellow fever by the World Health Organization, the minister said.

“That is why countries in Europe and the US do not demand yellow fever cards from Nigerian travellers,” he added.

Friday’s incident prompted Nigeria’s Arik Air to suspend its flights to Johannesburg, though it has since resumed its service.

Arik, one of two airlines affected, said health officials had given the reason as incorrect or unrecognised batch numbers on the documentation. Proof of vaccination is mandatory before one can enter the country.

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BREAKING NEWS:South Africa apologizes to Nigeria

PRETORIA, South Africa — South Africa apologized Thursday for a mass deportation of Nigerians, trying to contain a diplomatic spat that has again focused attention on its sometimes strained relations with the rest of the continent.

“We wish to humbly apologize to them, and we have,” South Africa’s deputy foreign minister, Ibrahim Ibrahim, told reporters. “We are apologizing because we deported a number of people who should not have been deported

Two diplomats from the Nigerian High Commission who accompanied Ibrahim to the news conference at South Africa’s foreign ministry refused to comment beyond a joint statement that described tit-for-tat deportations. The two countries say the incidents will not affect their relations.

On March 2, South Africa deported 125 Nigerians who, according to airport health authorities, carried fraudulent yellow fever cards. Since then, authorities in Lagos, raising health concerns, have deported South Africans.

Ibrahim said South African airport authorities did not properly check to determine whether the cards were authentic. He said South Africa was considering reopening a health clinic at the airport to ensure such deportations are not repeated.

South Africa and Nigeria are allies, but also sometimes rivals for influence in Africa.

Nigeria Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru, speaking to his National Assembly on Tuesday, linked the deportations to what he called the “xenophobia” faced by Nigerian immigrants living in South Africa who fear police who arrest them without cause.

Ibrahim rejected Ashiru’s charge.

“We are not a xenophobic country,” Ibrahim said Thursday.

But in 2008, South Africa saw a wave of violence against foreigners from elsewhere in Africa that left scores dead. Most of the attacks occurred in squatter camps, where South Africans and foreigners — both camps impoverished — compete for housing and jobs.

South Africa has the continent’s most successful economy, and that draws immigrants from further north. But the wealth is far from equally distributed, creating volatility.

South Africans have economic might and, because they are celebrated for peacefully toppling apartheid, international diplomatic stature. South African periodically question whether that makes them arrogant, or results in their being seen as arrogant, when they meet other Africans. They also say the long years of isolation under apartheid left ignorance on both sides.

Such soul-searching was evident earlier this year, when South African politician Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma failed to win enough votes in the African Union to unseat Gabon’s Jean Ping as chairman of the continentwide body.

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Revealed: The senator the South African government deported

Nigeria Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba (SAN) was the senator deported from South Africa with 125 other Nigerians on Friday 2nd March for supposedly possessing "fake" yellow cards.

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THE BATTLE LINE IS DRAWN: FG deports more South Africans on Wednesday night

THE Federal Government, in its resolve to pay back government of South Africa in its coin, following the unjust deportation of 125 Nigerians aboard Arik Air during the week, all the citizens of South Africa who, again, arrived in Nigeria aboard South African Airways were sent packing by the immigration officials at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

Information gathered on Wednesday night revealed that immediately the plane landed at 8.30 p.m, all those carrying South African passports were not allowed to go beyond the immigration desk, before they were asked to return to their country on the same aircraft.

This is coming 24 hours after the Nigerian government deported 56 nationals of the country.

Some Nigerians and other foreign nationals with the South African passport were affected in the development.

Unconfirmed report said the South African government, also on Wednesday, deported some Nigerians from the O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannes-burg, South Africa.

According to information, as soon as South African Airways aircraft touched down at the runway of the MMIA at 8:30 p.m, the immigration officers at the airport were said to have separated Nigerians from other nationals.

While citizens of other nationals who were cleared by the immigration officers at the airport proceeded to the baggage area for their luggage, South African citizens, including holders of the South African passports, were turned back by the officers.

However, some citizens of other countries, including Nigerians who carried South African passport, protested, but security agents attached to the arrival hall prevented the scene from degenerating to chaos, as they insisted that they were acting on “order from above.”

All efforts to get more details from immigration officials and relevant aviation authorities to ascertain the number of those affected failed, as they refused to pick their calls.

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We won’t apologise to Nigeria, says S-Africa

AN end to the raging diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa kick-started by the latter’s deportation of 125 Nigerians, including a serving senator over alleged possession of fake yellow fever vaccine certificates is not in sight.

Reason: South Africa is not ready to apologise for the dehumanising treatment and Nigeria is ready to reciprocate the ‘gesture’ with equal measure.

Feelers from both countries show that there will be more deportations on both sides as the South African government has refused to admit wrong doing and apologise as demanded by Nigeria government. A Foreign Affairs source said, “we are demanding unreserved apology from South Africa for this ill-treatment of Nigerian travelers or else, we will take more drastic actions.”

A highly placed Nigerian foreign affairs official confirmed yesterday that South Africa had persistently complained to the Nigerian government that most Nigerians coming to South Africa enter the country with fake documents but that Nigeria had not addressed the issue.

The deportation last Friday of 125 Nigerians from the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johanesburg after denying them entry into the country for allegedly possessing fake yellow fever certificates was a good opportunity, according to South Africa, to let Nigeria know that they were serious about their complaint especially as a serving senator was involved.

Indeed, Vanguard learnt yesterday that Nigeria was not unaware that 125 Nigerians were to be deported. The source said Nigeria wanted South African Government to quarantine the deported Nigerians accused of possessing fake yellow vaccine certificates, give them the right vaccine and charge them the cost in dollars and then allow them enter South Africa. This was to save Nigeria diplomatic embarrassment as a serving senator was involved

It would be recalled that Nigeria retaliated on Tuesday by deporting 28 South Africans, who were denied entry into Lagos. The 28 passengers flew into the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight at about 9.30 pm. A source said: “The Federal Government decided to deny these 28 South Africans entry because of invalid documents and relevant health certificate clearance. We are also deporting them back to South Africa. The Presidency has been notified of this action. We will no longer overlook certain procedures which we have condoned in the spirit of African brotherhood.”

Nigeria, Tuesday, deported 58 South Africans.Also, yesterday, another 37 South Africans were deported. They were said to have arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja at 8.30 pm aboard a South African Airways.

According to Airport sources, immediately the aircraft arrived and all the passengers disembarked and were going through immigration formalities, the South Africans among them were fished out and made to stay together before being deported to their country.

Earlier yesterday, Nigeria had threatened to retaliate South Africa’s maltreatment of Nigerians. Interior Affairs Minister, Abba Moro who spoke to reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja said: “I want to assure you on one thing. The Federal Government has the capacity to reciprocate appropriately if it is found that the deportation of Nigerians was not done in good faith. At the moment, Nigeria maintains a very cordial diplomatic relations with South Africa and I can assure you that we will react appropriately if it is found that South Africa has taken unfriendly action against Nigeria.”

S/A envoy summoned

Also, on Tuesday, the Federal Government summoned the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Kingsley Mambolo. When he got to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was asked to see the Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, instead of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to explain why South Africa maltreated Nigerian travelers, last Friday. According to sources, “when the South African High Commissioner got to the Ministry, the Permanent Secretary was directed to ask him to explain why 125 Nigerians were deported without diplomatic courtesy. He spent about an hour interacting with the Permanent Secretary, but Nigeria was not convinced about the explanation given by South Africa.

The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Tuesday, asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, to appear before it to clarify Nigeria’s relationship with other African countries. The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has asked the Federal Government to apply the principle of reciprocity in dealing with South Africa.

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South African Police Invade Nigerian Embassy In J'borg

If necessary steps are not taken, a disagreement over visa refusal to some South Africans in Johannesburg during the week may develop into a major diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa.



According to a South African newspaper, Saturday Star, some members of a local church had accused the Nigerian Consulate staff of demanding bribes from them before they could be granted visa to the country.



Although the Nigerian Consulate, according to the visa denial victims, hinged the refusal on its inability to verify that the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ to which the 68 members belonged was duly registered in Nigeria, the South Africans insisted that they were treated so because they did not give bribe.

They were said to be travelling to Nigeria to attend an annual prayer meeting of the church in Nigeria and that they had booked for air tickets and accommodation with a sum of R500, 000. They also claimed that their passports were returned with cancelled visas on them.

According to Saturday Star, a member of the church delegation, Thami Khanyile, said they were bluntly asked to pay the bribe before their visas were issued. She said a consulate official told them that staff had been sweating over 68 visas "for nothing."

"When we stated that we were not willing to pay a bribe, the officials reacted angrily and proceeded to revoke the visas which had already been issued on our passports. They told us that the Nigerian church which we were visiting did not provide them with a genuine certificate that our church was registered. We saw this as a ploy to try and solicit bribe from us.

"We called the police to come to our rescue because they refused to hand our passports back.

"We wanted to open a case, but we were advised to take this through international relations," Khanyile was quoted to have said.

However, reports had it that the arrival of heavily armed policemen from Bramley police station was to aggravate the drama as upon being denied access by consular officials, they attempted force entry and tried to scale the electric fence. The local newspaper also published CCTV camera pictures of the policemen arguing with security staff and officials of the embassy in their bid to gain entry into the premises.

Sources at the consular were quoted to have said the church members had tried to stage an "illegal sit in" at the consulate after they were told to return the next day with additional documents.

"Police ordered the guard on duty to open the gate and when he refused, they threatened to gain entry by force," the source was quoted.

Another source was quoted: "They acted in violation of diplomatic protocols and will have to answer serious questions for invading Nigeria."

However, the local paper reported that the spokesman for the Department of International Relations, Clayson Monyela, commented that the department would raise the issues through diplomatic channels with its counterpart.

Also, the spokesperson of the South African Police (SAPS), Captain Dennis Adriao, was quoted as saying that the organisation would investigate, "once official complaint" was received, adding that "the SAPS respects international diplomatic protocols and any violation of these protocols will be seen in serious light."

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