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Nigerian owners of Taste Africana, Cynthia and Bright Chinule, face deportation from UK over visa fees

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4 months ago

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Cynthia and Bright Chinule, with three children, a Nigerian family based in Leigh, the United Kingdom, UK, fears they will be kicked out of the country if they don’t raise enough money to pay for new visas. Their visas expire in 11 days.

The couple, who run Taste Africana, a popular restaurant in the town, say they have just over two weeks to raise just under £26,000 or they could be forced to return to Nigeria after six years of building a life in England.

Their financial troubles began last year after the roof of the first building their restaurant was based in suddenly caved in just two months after opening.

Luckily, they were able to find a new home just minutes away on Market Street, where they have been operating since November 11.

However, according to Bright, the financial effects mean they have been unable to keep on top of the rising cost of living, visa fees, and immigration health surcharge payments, which is a fee paid by migrants who live in the UK for more than six months.

“They’ve put up the immigration charges, health insurance used to be around £300 per year,” explained Bright.

“It’s gone all the way up to around £1,800 per person, per year. Think about me who’s got a family of five. If I add visa application fees and lawyer fees it brings everything to up to around £26k.

“The visa expires in 12 days (11 days today) so we need to at least put in an application the night before. At this stage we just don’t have the money to do that.

“The target is to get enough money to get the whole visa thing fixed to give us some peace of mind. The idea that there is a possibility of being kicked out after six years of work has drained all the peace out of me. It takes a huge toll on you, honestly.”

‘How we started’
Before opening, Taste Africana was ‘Home Food UK’, an online takeaway operating from Cynthia and Bright’s kitchen at their home on Glebe Street, after the couple moved to the area in 2021 to raise their young family.

A former maths teacher, Cynthia was the first to suggest going into the food sector when she was on maternity leave and realised she wouldn’t be able to go back to work as a teaching assistant and look after their children.

She started Home Food UK, which proved a big hit. With two master’s degrees and a career in the NHS, Bright also took the leap to support Cynthia in running Taste Africana.

But the family are now facing the possibility of restarting their lives in Nigeria should they fail to submit applications before the deadline after six years of trying to build something in the UK.

Seeks help
To help with the fees, the Chinules went on the internet to solicit funds as a last resort. Bright created a GoFundMe to raise the £25,620 with hopes that his past generosity will pay forward.

“I never thought I’d do this,” Bright wrote.

“As someone who has always tried to stand on my own, it’s not easy for me to ask for help. But with only 14 days left to secure the necessary funds, I’ve come to realize that I can’t do this alone.

“Over the years, I’ve tried to give back to the community in every way possible — offering hot meals to rough sleepers during the cold winter months, supporting struggling families with food donations, and more.

“And I promise to continue paying this kindness forward,” part of the GoFundMe read.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our visa fees have been informed by the principle that those who use and benefit from the immigration system should contribute towards the cost of operating it, reducing the level of UK taxpayer funding that would otherwise be required.”

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N5m reward offered to whoever finds Wizkid’s missing phone

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5 hours ago

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December 23, 2024 1:57 pm

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A N5 million reward has been offered to anyone who helps recover Wizkid‘s missing phone.

The phone went missing on Saturday during the singer’s surprise performance at the Nativeland concert at Sol Beach in Elegushi, Lagos.

In a viral video from the concert, DJ Tunez took to the stage to announce the missing phone.

He said Wizkid’s phone dropped during his performance. He also offered a N5 million reward to anyone who finds it.

“When my brother Wizkid was performing, he dropped his cell phone. Anybody that finds Wizkid’s cell phone, N5 million. It is my boss’ cell phone, if anybody finds it, bring it to me. N5 million,” he said.

https://twitter.com/DigiMillennials/status/1870893331024097335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1870893331024097335%7Ctwgr%5E152da7d8daa3107ca1528fb2c86fd9e40dd11d90%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.thecable.ng%2Fwizkid-loses-phone%2F

He also shared the announcement on his X page with the caption: “I’m gooooooooooood! Please if you find Machala’s phone hit me up! Thank you!”

https://twitter.com/DJ_TUNEZ/status/1870941930970079541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1870941930970079541%7Ctwgr%5E152da7d8daa3107ca1528fb2c86fd9e40dd11d90%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.thecable.ng%2Fwizkid-loses-phone%2F

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Speed Darlington gets bail after one month in detention

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6 hours ago

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December 23, 2024 1:10 pm

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Speed Darlington, the Nigerian rapper, has been granted bail after nearly a month in police custody.

The rapper was arrested on November 27 while performing at a show in Owerri, Imo state.

Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer, had alleged that Burna Boy, the Afrofusion star, was responsible for the rapper’s arrest.

Darlington had taunted Burna Boy over his affiliation with the embattled US rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ who is facing multiple charges for sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

He asked Burna Boy to explain how he won the Grammy award for his album ‘Twice As Tall’ — a project executive produced by Diddy. He claimed there was a sexual relationship between the duo.

Stan Alieke, the legal representative of Darlington, earlier revealed that weeks after the rapper’s arrest, the police had denied him access to bail.

The lawyer also called on the law enforcement agency not to “trample on my client’s constitutional rights”.

But in an Instagram post on Monday, Alieke disclosed that his client had been granted bail.

“Apki has been granted bail by the court,” he wrote without including much information.

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Spotify names Burna Boy as the most exported Nigerian artist of 2024

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2 days ago

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December 21, 2024 3:11 pm

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Spotify has released the data for the most streamed artists outside Nigeria in 2024.

On the list shared by Spotify, Grammy winner Burna Boy is the Nigerian artist with the most streams outside Nigeria. For the past couple of years, the hitmaker has been at the forefront of exporting Nigerian music globally.

Burna Boy’s feat is a testament to his global popularity which has made him the only African artist with 3 albums surpassing over 500 million streams.

Second on the list is Grammy-nominated star Ayra Starr who enjoyed a good year thanks to the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘The Year I Turned 21’ which enjoyed critical and commercial success.

The album features a star-studded lineup that includes Asake, Seyi Vibez, American singer Giveon and Coco Jones, and Brazilian star Aniita.

Rema is the third most exported Nigerian artist of 2024. His hit single ‘Calm Down’ continues to enjoy global success, especially in the United States where it became the first African song to garner 1 billion streams.

This year, Rema released his sophomore LP ‘HEIS’ which is one of the most talked about albums of 2024. The album buoyed by its upper tempo arrangement, pulsating production, and aggressive chest thumping delivered the bit records ‘Ozeba’, ‘Hehehe’, and ‘Azaman’.

Tems (4) and Omah Lay (5) rounds off the top 5. Grammy winner Tems enjoyed a successful year on the global front with the release of her debut album ‘Born In The Wild’ which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Global Album.

Top 10 exported Nigerian Artists on Spotify in 2024

1. Burna Boy
2. Ayra Starr
3. Rema
4. Tems
5. Omah Lay
6. Asake
7. Wizkid 
8. Davido
9. Fireboy
10. Victony

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