Federal Govt knocks Canadian embassy’s refusal of visa for CDS, other top military officers

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has strongly condemned the Canadian Embassy’s decision to deny a visa to General Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

The controversy erupted when General Musa revealed that he and several senior military officers had been denied visas to attend an event in Canada intended to honour war veterans.

While some members of the Nigerian delegation were granted entry, a number of key officials was left stranded after their visa applications were rejected.

General Musa expressed deep disappointment over the situation, describing the incident as a “wake-up call” for Nigeria.

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.

The Minister stressed that such a move reflects poorly on Canada’s diplomatic relationship with Nigeria and urged for a stronger response to safeguard national interests on the global stage.

He said:

“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.” [CONTINUE READING HERE]>>>>>