'African NUS' in visa fiasco
The visit of African student leaders to Oxford has had to be cancelled after all but one of the party were denied permission to enter the country.
Organisers of the tour, People and Planet, Christian Aid, OUSU and the NUS, said they are furious at the decision, taken by the High Commission in Ghana and Nigeria. As yet, no specific reason for the denial of visas has been given, however the head of the All-Africa Students Union Ogunlana Oludare, was granted permission to come to Britain due to his possession of a diplomatic passport.
The party were due to attend a series of events in Oxford this Friday - including tours of the city's sights, attendance at OUSU Council and a speaker meeting addressing the effect of GATS on students. However, Oludare will now commence the tour of the country alone, starting in Warwick on Saturday at People and Planet's "Shared Planet" conference.
OUSU Vice-President (Welfare) Andrew Copson, organiser of the Oxford leg, told The Oxford Student: "It is insulting for student representatives who are visiting to exchange information and show solidarity with a campaign that affects us all." He added that a great deal of time and effort had been put into the planning of events, a view echoed by People and Planet spokeswoman Jess Worth. Copson also said that he was planning to bring an emergency motion to OUSU Council on Friday to launch an investigation into the affair, with the option to lodge a complaint with the Home Secretary.
31st Oct 2002