General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defense Staff of Nigeria, was denied a visa by the Canadian Embassy, a move that Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has denounced.
During the inaugural annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies in Abuja, General Musa reportedly disclosed the denial.
He claimed that he and his group were denied permits to Canada in order to attend a veterans’ ceremony.
Tunji-Ojo denounced the embassy’s actions as a blow to Nigeria’s sovereignty in an interview with Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday.
“I think even for us it is a policy,” he said, “without knowing the full facts. As I always say, the issue of reciprocity has to be given due consideration.” Even while we are not prepared to intrude on another country’s sovereignty, the management of migration and visas are sovereign matters.
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“As much as we don’t want to get involved in that, it is insulting to the chief of defense staff, but in my opinion—without knowing the whole story—it is disrespectful to the nation and to us as a people. If the chief of defense staff can experience that, I worry about the typical Nigerian.
Even if the embassy needs to ask some questions, the Minister stated that he is having difficulty finding a reason for Canada’s decision, adding that there are diplomatic back channels where it could have been done.
He expressed confidence that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take the required actions to promote mutual respect between the two countries and find a diplomatic solution to the problem.
