February 15, 2025 -
The Canadian High Commission has remained silent on the refusal to grant a visa to Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa.
In a terse statement, the High Commission cited privacy concerns as the reason for not addressing the issue.
“The High Commission of Canada in Nigeria is aware of media reports related to planned travel by senior officials. However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to comment on the status of visa applications of specific individuals,” the statement read.
General Musa disclosed that he and several senior military officers were denied visas, leaving some stranded. Expressing disappointment, he described the incident as a “wake-up call” for Nigeria to reinforce its sovereignty and avoid being taken for granted by foreign nations.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in his reaction, said there was no justification for the denial.
Tunji-Ojo, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, said the action by the Canadian embassy is condemnable and shows a lack of respect for Nigeria.
“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.”
The Minister said that he was struggling to find justification for the action by Canada, noting that even if there were questions the embassy needed, there were diplomatic back channels in which that could have been done.
He said he was confident the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would take the necessary steps to resolve the issue diplomatically and ensure mutual respect between the two nations.
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