President Jonathan, please save Victoria and Ihuoma from Canadian immigration

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, General Politics, Headlines, Top Stories Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Victoria Ordu and
Ihuoma Amadi, 20 and 21 respectively

I am surprised that I have not read in any media, local or
international, about efforts by the Nigerian government to help two
Nigerian students who have been on deportation list in Canada for
a ‘crime’ that makes mockery of the very ideals that western
societies proud themselves on – hard work. Victoria Ordu and
Ihuoma Amadi, 20 and 21 respectively, having been holed up in the
basement of a church in Canada – not for document forgery. No,
not for 419, internet scam or fake marriage, but for attempting to
work and earn decent stipends to augment what they get from
home.

The news media in Canada has been awash with the reports since
June 2012 when the two University of Regina students took refuge
in a church hoping that the Canadian authorities will forgive them
for working in Walmart for two weeks. The issue here is that the
student visa they carry permits them to work on campus but not
outside. The students have in their various interviews stated that
they stopped the Walmart jobs immediately they became aware of
the restriction. But the Canada authorities have simply refused to
budge.

Maybe the situation has lingered the way it is because of the green
color of the passport they carry. I doubt that the Canadian
authorities would have held their grounds the way they’ve done for
almost a year now if these two students were Americans, Indians,
Chinese or even South Africans. As one born of Nigerian parents in
the US, I have the privilege of knowing how it feels traveling with the
Nigerian passport and that of the US.

it is instructive that while Walmart that employed the students have
gone without any rebuke from the government, these two young
ladies have remained imprisoned in a church basement for more
than nine months now without knowing what day light looks like.
While immigration authorities accepted that Walmart had made an
honest mistake in their hiring practices, the same leniency wasn’t
granted to the students.

“Walmart was given the benefit of the doubt, while the students
weren’t,” said Michelle Stewart, one of the Canadians campaigning
for the release of the two Nigerians. “The most common response
to this type of infraction is a fine of $320,” said Stewart. “This is
Canada, but it feels like hell for us,” Ihuoma said in an interview with
CBS Canada. “We feel forgotten here, nothing is happening at all.”

Friends and well-wishers of these two students have in the last nine
months mounted pressure on the Canadian government, but not
much has been achieved. I have been involved in the social media
campaign to drum support for these innocent young Nigerians, but
much as the protests on and off line continues to grow, the
Canadian authorities have remained hard-heartened.

Canada holds strong trade relations with Nigeria and is hoping to
grow its economic presence in the country as a springboard to
reach the rest of Africa. Being Canada’s largest trading partner in
sub-Saharan Africa should serve as an incentive in extracting the
right government action on diplomatic matters like this. This is the
time for Nigeria to flex some diplomatic and economic muscles.

I remember when the reclusive North Korean government arrested
two US journalists and sentenced them to 12 years imprisonment
with hard labour for illegally entering the country. President Obama
sent former president Clinton to the country and in 24 hours those
two lady journalists were released to join their families. Nigeria, by
virtue of its economic and strategic might, can achieve similar result
when efforts are made from the top.

I expect President Jonathan’s government to act now. Please save
Victoria and Ihuoma from what their lawyer has described as
‘honest mistake’.

Ms Macaulay wrote in from New York

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