Nigerian Student killed in Ukrain by Racist hate mongers

[usman11]

From: Babatunde <rosanwo2001@ yahoo.ca>
To: NaijaExcel@yahoogro ups.com
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 3:37:40 AM
Subject: Re: NaijaExcel Protest Shefiu Salawudeen's Cold Blood Murder in Lviv, Ukraine

It would be very difficult for some people to understand why people
leave their country to live abroad. Personally I see nothing wrong
with it as along as it is done legally.

I personally started this online campaign from Facebook with support
from Dayo Israel. It is very glaring that racial attacks in Ukraine
are on the increase and we need not keep quiet. The night after Shefiu
was buried, another Arab medical student was stabbed to death in the
same city. Foreign students in Lviv are so traumatized, they have
stopped attending lectures. When we call for protest, we do not
necessarily mean physical or violent actions but that all you fellow
Nigerians put in a word to condemn this act as you have done in this
forum.

We would like to bring to the attention of the Federal Government the
lackadaisical attitude of our diplomats abroad, you can imagine that 4
days after the death of a Nigerian, the embassy has not deemed it fit
to speak to the Nigerian students nor allay our fears that they are
here nor issue a statement. When we confirmed Shefius death, we tried
to get the Embassy to communicate the news to his parents but they did
not respond, so we had to call the family ourselves, it was very
uncomfortable to break the news on the phone to the father but we had
no choice.On Tuesday the Chief consular showed up at the police
station and he left without speaking to the Nigerians. Shefiu was
buried on Wednesday without the presence of the Nigerian Embassy, the
students had to contribute money to give him a befitting burial
according to Muslim rites.

For those who ask why we are here, 90%of the Nigerians here are
studying in a country where you are not allowed to work nor earn a
dime, so our parents are responsible for 100% sponsorship. At my last
count there are over 2500 Nigerian students studying Medicine alone in
Ukraine, it would be unfair to tag them as coming to accept 3rd class
citizens here. Rather the affirmative actions in the name of Federal
Character in Nigeria and the breakdown in educational system that
promotes mediocrity above merit has driven a lot of us here.

I must commend Hon Abike Dabiri and NIDOE, they are the only people
that have seen to have concerns about this issue. Does it not bother
us that despite all the funds allocated in the budget for foreign
diplomats, its easier to communicate with Abike Dabiri in Nigeria than
the Nigerian Embassy in Kiev. Hopefully we can hold Abike Dabiri
accountable for her word in the future on this matter. This brings to
the table a lot of issues about the type of governance in Nigeria. The
last time an Ukrainian was captured in the Niger Delta, the Ukrainian
government swung into action.

I know we have a long way to go in Nigeria but shunning away from the
truth or keeping mum is not the right thing to do. A few may be
comfortable but the majority are not.

Thank you and we appreciate your concerns.

Babatunde Rosanwo

[Dan-Borno]

cant understand how things are administered in this my
country.  there are other several cases concerning how
nigerians living abroad are being molested and in this
case even murder while the nigerian government doesnt
even care to raise an eyebrow.  it doesnt matter wether
its in search of knowledge as in student or even if you
are there as a tourist, so far you obtained your documents
legally, its the duty of the ukranian government or any
government to that effect to give you protection.

the problems are enormous, everyone is busy enriching
themselves with worldly material forgeting the promises
they undertook to their mother land for years for upholding
her honour and glory -

the worst thing is that our administrators who governs our
affairs chose what to read and what watch, in view of this
we may talk till dawn and nothing is going to happen.

Allah ya rufa asiri.

[Abbas Bubakar El-ta'alu]

         I am a lecturer in the Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of the Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria, and  am currently undergoing my post-graduate studies in one of the oldest universities in Ukraine (from 1804), from where am now posting this piece. I am not an old person and  would like to tell readers that I spent half of my life in this country, Ukraine, and would like to advice you to forget about advising neighther our Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine,  nor the Ukrainian Government on what to do about attacking Nigerians and CO. At this material moment, your advice will never be heard  because of multiple factors, most of which are MAN-MADE.
           Shefiu Salawudeen's Cold Blood Murder in L'viv was true, and many more students and foriegn residenses from other countries are being harrassed, molested, and even being killed like him - my advice to our civilian governors is that, in trying to to do good things, by sending our citizens to study in Ukraine, they should resort to yet another former SOVIET Republic - THE BELARUSSIA-, things there are otherwise!!!