Lawyer Waheed Mudah said that he and his wife had not experienced any discrimination or mistreatment in their native country and said that it was the prospect of a better life that encouraged them to come to Ireland. Mudah has a degree in law from the University of Sokoto and qualified as a barrister at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos.

"It is known to you, me and most people that the majority of asylum seekers are not asylum seekers in the true sense. It's just to give you a platform to get a visa or permission to remain in the country, " Mudah said.

Mudah, who is training to practise as a solicitor in Ireland with a Tallaght firm, said that Ireland is attractive to Africans as a destination where they hope they can eventually stay and gain work. "It is true to say that [the reason Nigerians apply for asylum] is not because they are in danger at home.

They want to make a new and better life for themselves and to send something home to their families."

Mudah accepts that the Irish system encourages asylum applicants to lie about their background in their native country. "Yes, you could say that most claims for asylum are dishonest. But there is no other alternative. Everyone wants to get work, " Mudah said.

The lawyer's comments have provoked a strong reaction from Rosanna Flynn of Residents Against Racism, who described them as "sad and disappointing". She said that the group worked with "many Nigerians seeking asylum here . . .

none of whom we have found to be in any way bogus or untruthful".