A Nigerian man, Francis Ushie, has spoken about being separated from his wife and four children after they moved to Canada, saying he was left stranded at an airport after failing to find them.
Ushie, speaking in an interview shared on YouTube by The Rest of Us, said his marriage to a woman from Obulu Gunu in Delta State became troubled over family issues and a disagreement linked to alleged infidelity.
He said he resigned from his banking job after their Canadian residency permits were approved, but his wife and children travelled ahead while his former employer audited his position.
According to him, the audit lasted almost a year.
He said: “When the Canada residency permit came to leave with my family, that’s the main reason I resigned from the banking job. When it came, they left before me, she left with our four children.
“I was still behind because the bank needed to audit my position. It took them almost one year to audit me. That was why I could not travel to Canada with my family.”
Ushie said he eventually travelled to Canada in November 2014 but claimed his wife had blocked him and refused to give him their address.
“I eventually went to Canada in 2014 November. I could not locate where my wife was staying with our children. I was stranded at the airport, YYC airport in Canada,” he said.
He returned to Nigeria and said he had sought reconciliation since 2016, but his wife had refused.
“Since 2016 till now, I tried for us to reconcile, but she is not ready to reconcile. I am not forcing her,” he said.
“Apart from being a refugee, I have no companion for now. She has also stopped the children from communicating with me.”
Ushie said he may contact Canadian authorities but stressed that his main concern was having contact with his children.
“I am considering maybe writing to the Canadian authority to let them know what happened. I am still ready to reconcile with my wife,” he said.
“My issue is that she should allow my children talk to me. With that I will be okay. I want to let them know I am not an irresponsible father.”
He also defended his support for the family, saying: “I was responsible for sending five of them to Canada, they should check the cost.”
“Their mother was a full housewife. Two-year rent I paid for rent there in Canada, so please, my children, I am a very responsible father.”
Ushie said he remains open to reconciliation but wants access to his children and a chance to maintain a relationship with them.
