deceased |
An aggrieved man just lost his son
because he was refused a medical visa to travel and have his heart
condition fixed.After the boy passed,the grieving Father sent in this
mail to the embassy.
Read the letter below:
15/12/2014
The Consulate General
United States of America Embassy
Consular Section, Lagos (Visas)
(Visas and American Citizens Services)
2, Walter Carrington Crescent
Victoria Island
Lagos
Nigeria
West Africa.
Dear Sir,
It is with a heavy heart and unbearable pain that I write this
letter. My son Gabriel Temitayo Bada, born on the 14th of January 1990
is gone! Gone too soon! Gabriel Temitayo Bada who was suffering from a
heart problem and needed to undergo surgery applied for a medical visa
at the United States of America Embassy and on the 19th of November 2014
was subsequently refused.
This is after all
necessary arrangements had been made by me his father. Where do I start
from? Why would any parent have to bury their own child? I put in a lot
of effort in ensuring that Gabriel Temitayo be brought to America for
treatment but all my efforts were rebuffed. After the shock of the
refusal, Gabriel Temitayo Bada collapsed at the embassy and thereafter
his condition worsened and he even asked me at a point what was going to
happen next and if there was a plan B.
READ MORE AFTER THE CUT.........................................................
All this, while going
through excruciating pains and suffering. I decided to write and send
the embassy an urgent e-mail, explaining our plight and assuring them
that Gabriel Temitayo Bada was a genuine applicant who wanted to come
only for a heart surgery. I went further by highlighting the fact that
he was a final year Accounting student and had only a semester to go
before graduation. I did get a reply from the embassy via e-mail but
that didn't look promising. Due to the urgency of the matter and our
desperation, I proceeded to forward all the supporting documents
including medical reports from both the hospitals in Nigeria and also
the hospital in America to the embassy in Nigeria as both hospitals were
liaising.
I believe that the
deciding officer at the United states of America Embassy was prejudiced
towards my son by not following due process thereby leading to the death
of my son Gabriel Temitayo Bada on Thursday the 4th of December 2014.
How could anyone be this heartless? I know that if Nigeria had not
failed its citizens and adequate and proper health care is being
provided, people like me would not find succour elsewhere.
This is too painful. I
type in tears, knowing that my life would never remain the same again. I
know embassy staff have been trained not to show compassion as was
depicted in the e-mail reply from the embassy, but instead to use their
discretion and intuition, but I believe that we are all human after all,
and there are exceptional cases. To the deciding officer that refused
my son, I know that you also have children and if not, then family
members that have children and I hope you never have to go through what I
am going through as I don't wish it on my worst enemy. Thank you very
much and God bless you.
Yours Faithfully,
Joseph
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