The UK migration MoU opened business visas. It also strengthened the machinery for deportations. Both are in force.

Most of the coverage of Tinubu's state visit focused on the £746 million ports deal and the ceremony at Windsor. The agreements that will affect more Nigerians directly were signed quietly alongside it.

Nigeria and the UK signed three MoUs during the visit: a migration partnership framework, a joint action plan against organised immigration crime, and an expanded business visa scheme for UK companies operating in Nigeria. Interior Minister Tunji-Ojo signed two on Wednesday and concluded the third on Thursday.

Here's what each one actually does.

The business visa expansion is the clearest win. It eases processes for UK companies investing and operating in Nigeria. More British firms in Nigeria means more employment, more partnerships, more economic activity. That's legitimate and welcome.

The migration partnership framework is more complex. The stated purpose is protecting Nigerian citizens abroad and managing legal migration channels. The mechanism is deeper cooperation between Nigerian and UK immigration authorities — including, by the agreement's terms, more efficient handling of removals. Nigeria has agreed to work more closely with UK authorities on cases where Nigerians are subject to removal orders. In plain language: this deal makes it easier for the UK to deport Nigerians, with Nigerian government cooperation.

The joint action plan on organised immigration crime is the third piece. It targets smuggling networks and illegal migration pathways. That sounds straightforwardly good. What it also means is that Nigerians using irregular routes — often people fleeing genuine hardship with no legal pathway available — face a more coordinated enforcement environment between the two governments.

What changed this week in practice: LemFi, Kuda, and Moniepoint are scaling up UK operations with formal government endorsement. Zenith Bank opened a Manchester branch. Nigerian creative industry and fintech players have a more visible legitimate pathway into the UK market. That's genuinely significant.

At the same time, if you or someone in your family is in the UK on uncertain immigration status — overstay, pending application, irregular entry — the framework Tinubu signed this week increases the administrative cooperation between the two governments that manages those situations.

The deal is real. So are both sides of it.