Written by U.S Immigration News Monday, 03 September 2012 19:34
Athletes and coaches numbering more than a dozen from nations including Cameroon, Guinea,
the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Ivory Coast said to have “disappeared” from the Olympic village before the closing ceremony are yet to return home. Meanwhile, of the twelve athletes
from Eritrea, four have already filed for asylum in the United Kingdom.
While most of the asylum-seeking athletes have refused to make any public statements about
their decisions, one of such athletes, Eritrea’s, 18-year-old Olympic flag-bearer, Weynay
Ghebresilasie, has revealed that he claimed political asylum in the United Kingdom on the day
of the Games’ closing ceremony to avoid returning home to the country he had just
represented in the Olympics!
Ghebrebresilasie, a steeplechaser, had finished tenth in his first –round heat and did not
advance. Although he called his trip to the Olympics “a dream come true” he blamed his
disappointing performance on “mismanagement and politics.”
In his words, “The truth is that we are not treated as athletes. For example, there were times
when we went to other countries to compete and I was denied medical treatment by the
Eritrean officials in charge, some of them high ranking-army officers.”
FROM UNIVERSITY OF BENIN TO STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT AT ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY.
Francisca Chiedu, a Nigerian master’s student at the Robert Gordon University, United Kingdom
assumed office as the President of the student union after her victory at the polls, in a
campus wide voting barely five months after commencing her course at the university. Her
victory surprised many, but to the young lady who has a track record of strong leadership,
commitment, hard work, passion for service and excellence, this is a victory well deserved and
an opportunity to further showcase her stand for excellence in service.
This development is another proof of the potential and the relevance of the Nigerian youth to lead
innovative changes within and outside the country. It is a testimony to the capability of the new
generation of Nigerians to be the change they seek and champion worthy causes.
After completing a Bsc.(Ed) degree in Computer Science at the great University of Benin in 2007,
and consequently did her National Youth Service in Lagos state in 2008 where she was
awarded state commendation for her community development project on E-learning and ICT
education for secondary school students in the Apapa Local Government Area. She was also a
member of the NYSC Lagos state Editorial Board with several published articles on development
and politics. Francisca worked with the New Nigeria Foundation before she was awarded a
scholarship by the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) in 2011 for a master’s program in
Information Engineering and Network Management at the Robert Gordon University, United
Kingdom. Prior to her election as the president of the student body she was the Vice-
President (International).
Olakunle O. Bolarinwa,
Is a Nightline Family Member Of The Voice Of America {VOA}.
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