News - Minister assures Nigerians in Austria on justice over deportation

[TGD]

 • Immigrants protest

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru, has assured Nigerians living in Austria without legal documents that their cases would be treated with due process by their host country in conjuction with the Nigerian Embassy before they may be deported.

Meanwhile, Ashiru's assurance is coming on the heels of protests by immigrants in Austria who on Sunday began hunger strike to press for better deal.

Ashiru disclosed this on Sunday to The Guardian in a reaction to a petition written from Vienna, Austria, by a Nigerian, Uzoma Ahamefule.

Ahamefule had alleged that since the news that the minister plans to visit Austria in return for the similar diplomatic-related visit by his Austrian foreign affairs counterpart, Michael Spindelegger, to Nigeria last year June, tension has been very high among Nigerian communities in Austria.

Also, Ahamefule had also claimed that many Nigerians were displeased with the attitude of Nigerian Embassy officials following their refusal to see Nigerian communities in Vienna despite a letter written and signed by all the executives of Nigerian ethnic nationalities requesting their attention over the issue.

But the minister urged the petitioner and other Nigerians in Austria to be patient since the ministry was according the neccessary attention to cases of Nigerians in foreign countries.

According to him, the Federal Government signed agreements with countries Nigeria had diplomatic relations with to accord Nigerians on their territories due respects and that no Nigerian would be deported without the Nigerian embassies in those countries investigating their cases.

Although there are no Nigerian key figures in the on-going protests, reports indicate that the current crop of mostly Asian agitators are on the verge of extending fellowship beyond north African citizens to Nigerian nationals who are known to constitute a good number of African immigrants in Austria, including asylum seekers.

Besides, The Guardian learnt at the weekend that most diplomats in Vienna who are from countries of high immigrants supply, prodded by their home governments, have been taking proactive steps to ensure that the "Immigrants spring" does not generate negative ripples.

The protests in Austria is coming ahead of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisation (UNAOC) Summit by the end of this month, as well as the Refugee Congress billed for Munich, Germany, in early March this year.

Immigrants' rights featured prominently in the recently-held presidential elections in the United States (U.S.) and is polarising that nation as President Barrack Obama is in the process of embarking on a comprehensive immigration reform.



The Guardian