hi i am a 23 year old nigerian who has being living in ireland since the age of 11. i arrived with my sister from england and made ireland my home. i have friends , social activities and memories here and frankly speaking everyone here has made me feel at home. however i am considered illegal in this country because of a mistake made by my sister and her her husband. due to her own personal matters she literally forgot to sign me to the immigration bureau. i was young and naive of the legal process in ireland so i never check. . when i turned 18 after being keep indoors at all times, i was suddenly kick out of the house and i found myself in desperate need of help. i cope on my own for about 2 years but eventually i had to complete my college education this was when i found out the horrible truth about my status in the country. . i have spent the last 3 years trying to get this sorted out but the whole senario has taken a hefty toll on me financially and spiritually. i beleive i am going to get sorted eventually because i have alot to offer my community. they are very good to me but the process is taking too long and i fear i would have to spend another year with going to college. watching my fellow mates progress in life is the hardest part of my struggle and it hurts mwe more than anything else throughout this ordeal, the nights without food, the days spent alone knowing i got no where to go, the constant trips to the lawyer office, the discrimination i get from the streets, they are all nothing compare to the pain of knowing i am going nowhere despite my potential. please i am appealing to each and everyone of you out there to please sign my petition and help me out through this struggle. this will urge the government to give me my status and help my through with my education. i had to dropout of biochemistry in u.c.c. all i want is to go back and finish my education. thank you very much for your kind consideration, oviesa john