Secretary General of the Nigeria boxing board of control and the president of West Africa boxing union, Remi Aboderin has called out the irregularities of the embassy after invited Nigerian boxers were denied their visas despite genuine application and required documents submission.
Remi didn’t hide his anger as he blurted out his grievances over the denial after several efforts to get the athlete’s visa in an exclusive interview with Sports247.
Two Nigerian boxers had an invitation from the US, and Great Britain but they have been delayed due to the embassy’s failure to give them a go-ahead.
“Riliwan Oladosu one of the invited boxers is a world boxing federation champion, former national champion, former WABU champion, 16 fights and no single loss,” he revealed.
“His promoter in America called him to come and fight in America, P1 Visa paid for meaning that he’s already recognized as an athlete and he can come in and out of America to do his business.”
“We have paid to the home office in America and it has been approved, we showed it to them at the embassy but unfortunately they turned us down, maybe it’s because the fighter couldn’t express himself very well but all the documents are there to show that he has an invitation and it’s genuine from America.”
Remi continued, “Apart from Rilwan, there’s also blessing Godwin who is supposed to fight against Lauren Price in London, she was supposed to have gotten there in August but it has now been postponed to September because her visa isn’t yet given even when we have put in Visa application with her coach and manager since May.”
“We haven’t collected back the passport of the girl, but that of her coach has been done, the coach is not the one to fight, if the girl doesn’t get the visa, the visa given to the coach is just useless, it’s really disheartening the way the embassy are going about things.’
“The fact is that they should let genuine athletes get the opportunity to showcase their God-given talent internationally, what they are doing is frustrating them and if they keep to this, we don’t know what these guys will do.”
‘You have 16 fights amassed here in Nigeria with no loss and you are going outside to fight someone with 15 fights and no loss, that’s a good thing for the game because we are talking about two unbeaten boxers, they have the right to face each other,” he said of the fighters.
“$8,000 (eight thousand US dollars have been paid) for the P1 Visa, which means that he’s internationally recognized to come into the US. The embassy will not help matters and stop these boys from getting to the pinnacle of their career if they keep denying us visas.”
“You can’t talk or write to the home office, I’m not in charge of that, it’s the promoter, they gave a lawyer who actually filed for this and he sent us all the documents needed which we have shown to them here in Nigeria, the only thing we can do right now is to at least plead with the American Consular here in Nigeria to look at his case, go through the papers, this is a genuine application and he has the right to be in America as at June.”
“There’s no need for any denial, he hasn’t done anything criminal, Google can bring out everything he’s been involved in which is boxing, if he isn’t allowed to showcase his talent outside the country, that’s a slow death,” he concluded.
