Members of the Nigerian Diaspora Youth Ambassador have raised an alarm over the plight of Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus.
According to a statement issued yesterday by Gabriel Odu of the Media, Public Relations and Protocol Unit of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), the group said Nigerian youths are suffering from intense depression as a result of the inhuman treatment meted to them, giving rise to the high rate of suicide amongst them in Northern Cyprus.
The president of the association , Mr David Alozie, who led a four-man delegation to Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa Chairman/CEO, NIDCOM in Abuja, said the purpose of the visit to the Commission was to appeal for quick intervention on the plight of Nigerian students in Northern Cyprus. He added that Nigerian students are being racially profiled and deported on arrival at the airport for establishing contact with any individual in Southern Cyprus.
Alozie added that Nigerian students are forced to pay for tuition in Pounds whereas other foreign students pay in Turkish Lira (TL). Alozie and his team expressed willingness to collaborate with the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission and other relevant agencies to create more awareness on challenges Nigerian youths are facing in Northern Cyprus.
He said “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not the best place to study, as the majority of the institutions there are not recognised by the European Union (EU) or any country in the world”.
Dabiri-Erewa in her reaction advised that Northern Cyprus is becoming a dangerous transit route for migrants, stressing that the country is not recognized by any country in the world except Turkey.
She therefore stressed the need for further awareness to sensitize Nigerian youths who are living their country with the hope of better education.
The NiDCOM boss commended the President and his entire team’s efforts so far but explicitly stated that “the team has a bigger job to do in creating awareness for youths in Nigeria as it is better to stay in your country alive than risk your life in going to a country where uncountable and unresolved cases of young Nigerians have been and are still being recorded.”
Dabiri-Erewa gave assurance that NIDCOM will continue to work with relevant agencies like theInternational Organization for Migration (IOM), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Parent Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the nagging issue of Northern Cyprus.
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