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The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has described the decision of Canadian authorities to deny visas to Nigerian military leaders as a “serious affront” on the country’s dignity.
During an event in Abuja on Thursday, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had expressed displeasure at the Canadian High Commission for denying the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and other army chiefs visas.
“Thank you for the courage to say Canada denied you visas. They can go to hell,” the NSA said.
In a statement issued on Friday by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, Sunday Iyogun, Matawalle criticised the Canadian authorities for the treatment of the Nigerian delegation.
The minister said Nigeria must not take a passive stance on the development, adding that there was need to investigate the reasons for the visa denial.
“This incident is not merely a bureaucratic oversight; it is a serious affront to our national dignity and integrity,” he said.
“If no satisfactory explanation is provided, we must be prepared to respond appropriately and assertively.”
Similarly, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had stated that denying a visa to a high-ranking official was disrespectful to the entire country.
“As much as we are not ready to dabble into the sovereignty or sovereign issues of other nations, issues of visas or the issue of migration management is a sovereign matter and the right of every country.
“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,” he stated.
The military leaders were to travel to Canada for an event organised to honour war veterans but their visa applications were rejected.
The development elicited varied reactions on and off social media.
On Friday, the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria said it would not comment on the circumstances around the issue.
However, according to a report, the officers were denied visas because their applications contained a diplomatic error.
A Nigerian government source disclosed that the errors were made by the desk officer who filed the visa application. The report also stated that the government had begun working with the embassy to resolve the issue.
Adedayo Akinwale
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