Nigerian man due to return to Ireland on Friday

Classmates, friends and politicians are planning a party at Dublin Airport on Friday morning for Nigerian student Olukunle Elukanlo who is due back in the State after his deportation order was reversed.

Neil Burke, a fellow student at Palmerstown Community College said he was speaking to Mr Elukanlo today and that the student was "fairly up-beat" and hoped to be back in Ireland on Friday morning.

Nigerian student Olunkunle Elukanlo

"He is set to fly out of Lagos to Amsterdam tomorrow and he is going up to Abuja by train today to collect his [Nigerian] passport. He is in contact with a priest, the Irish Embassy and a member of the Socialist Party is over there too."

Mr Elukanlo is expected to collect his Irish visa tomorrow before returning to Lagos for an overnight flight to Amsterdam. From there he will take a connecting flight to Dublin.

Mr Burke said the students at the college had held a whip round for Mr Elukanlo and had wired the money to him.

Once Mr Elukanlo returns Mr Burke said some of his classmates were planning a night out with him. "At this stage it looks like the whole school will head out to the airport. Then we are looking at different options for later on, we'll probably go out to one of the pubs in Palmerstown".

Mr Burke added that he expected the Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins and Green Party TDs, Paul Gogarty and Ciaran Cuffe said they intended greeting Mr Elukanlo at the airport.

The students are also trying to organise accommodation for Mr Elukanlo before he returns. "We don't know if he is going to get his old room back. A friend of mine, his father owns a lot of property and he has offered Olukunle a room rent free for six months. His uncle has all his stuff, notes and books."

Mr Burke said that the students were surprised by the success of their campaign. "We succeeded. We were fighting and we had hope but we really thought we were going up a dead end. And when Olukunle was sent home he was really down."

While the students intend to continue supporting campaigns in Athlone and Castleblaney to return more than 30 Nigerians deported at the same time as Mr Elukanlo, Mr Burke said their own campaign would come to an end once Mr Elukanlo returned.

In a statement released this morning the Minister for Justice said he wished to reiterate that "the decision to revoke the deportation order was made on wholly exceptional grounds and is not of general application."

He said the proposal to the Minister to deport Mr Elukanlo was made in the belief of the proposing Immigration Service official that the order when made would not be implemented before June, when the young man in question would be sitting the Leaving Certificate Exam.

"By presenting himself at GNIB on the day of a deportation flight, rather than on the earlier date specified in a letter written to him, Olukunle was treated as a deportation evader."

The Minister said that while the deportation was authorised, its actual timing was unfortunate and the Minister reached the view that for him to leave matters stand in those unusual circumstances was inappropriate. "

"I understand that Olukunle will be arriving in Dublin before the end of the school break and will be able to rejoin his class-mates when the school term resumes on Monday. I wish them all well in the Leaving Certificate exam and hope that they will now be able to concentrate on their studies", Mr McDowell said.

Mr Elukanlo has been granted a 6-month student visa to allow him complete his exams. This visa will also allow him to work part-time up to 20 hours per week.