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In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Tunji-Ojo questioned the embassy’s conduct, suggesting that if such disregard could be shown to the country’s highest-ranking military officer, ordinary Nigerians might face even worse treatment....READ THE FULL CONTENT FROM THE SOURCE | READ THE FULL CONTENT FROM THE SOURCE
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has criticised the Canadian Embassy for denying a visa to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, describing the move as disrespectful to Nigeria.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Tunji-Ojo questioned the embassy’s conduct, suggesting that if such disregard could be shown to the country’s highest-ranking military officer, ordinary Nigerians might face even worse treatment.
“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,” he said.
The minister described the decision as not just disrespectful to the Chief of Defence Staff but to Nigeria as a whole.
“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,” he added.
“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… pic.twitter.com/yfFjRKEmI5
— Channels Television (@channelstv) February 14, 2025
Tunji-Ojo further expressed concerns over the rationale behind Canada’s decision, stating that even if the embassy had concerns, diplomatic channels should have been used.
He assured that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would take necessary steps to address the matter and ensure mutual respect between both nations.
The controversy emerged after General Musa disclosed on Thursday at the maiden annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies (AANISS) that he and half of his delegation were denied visas to attend an event honouring war veterans in Canada.
“Every disappointment is a blessing. Yesterday, I was meant to be in Canada. There’s an event to honour our veterans, those that were injured during battles, and we were meant to be there.
“We were invited with our team. Half has gone and half has been denied. It’s very disappointing,” Musa stated.
TheCable reported on Thursday how Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, also condemned Canada’s decision, using strong language to express his displeasure.
“Thank you for the courage to say Canada denied you visas. They can go to hell,” Ribadu said at the same event.
Ribadu described the decision as painful and disrespectful but insisted that Nigeria remains resilient.
“Even though it’s painful, it’s disrespectful, but we are peaceful and strong and I agree with you that it is time to fix our country. Yet, this is another reason we work hard to make Nigeria work,” he added.
The NSA also commended Musa for his leadership in the fight against insecurity, noting that security agencies are collaborating across the country to tackle threats…Read The Full Content From The Source.
