Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has criticized the Canadian Embassy for denying a visa to the country’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, calling the decision a sign of disrespect toward Nigeria.
General Musa revealed on Thursday at the maiden annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies that he and some members of his delegation were denied visas to attend an event in Canada honoring war veterans.
Reacting to the incident during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television program, Tunji-Ojo expressed dismay over Canada’s decision, emphasising that it undermines Nigeria’s sovereignty and dignity.
“Without knowing the full facts, I think even for us it is a policy, the issue of reciprocity as I always say, has to be given due consideration. As much as we are not ready to dabble into the sovereignty of other nations, the issue of visas, issue of migration management is a sovereign issue.”
“As much as we don’t want to dabble into that, it is not a disrespect to the chief of defence staff, to me, without knowing the facts, it is disrespectful to the country, and it is disrespectful to us as a people. If that can happen to the chief of defence staff, then I am worried for an average Nigerian,” Tunji-Ojo said.”
He further argued that any concerns the Canadian Embassy had could have been addressed through diplomatic channels rather than outright denial.
Tunji-Ojo reassured Nigerians that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would take appropriate steps to resolve the issue and uphold mutual respect between both countries.
Speaking at the same event. National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu took a more confrontational stance, strongly condemning Canada’s decision
,“Thank you for the courage to say Canada denied you visas. They can go to hell,” he said.
While acknowledging the disappointment, Ribadu urged Nigerians to use the incident as motivation to strengthen the country’s self-sufficiency. “It is painful and disrespectful, but we remain peaceful and strong. This is yet another reason we must work hard to make Nigeria great,” he added.
Despite the controversy, Ribadu praised General Musa for his leadership in addressing national security challenges, highlighting the continued collaboration among Nigeria’s security agencies in combating insecurity.
