The High Commission of Canada to Nigeria has reacted to the displeasure expressed by the National Security Adviser, NSA Nuhu Ribadu, after it came to light that the Canadian embassy denied visas to the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, and other army chiefs.
The CDS brought the situation to the attention of the Nigerian public while speaking on Thursday at the Yar’adua Centre, Abuja, the venue of the maiden annual lecture of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies.
“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,” the CDS said.
“We were invited with our team. Half has gone and half has been denied. It’s very disappointing,” he added.
Reacting, Ribadu who also spoke at the event slammed the embassy, saying they “can go to hell” for their action which he described as painful and disrespectful.
“Thank you for the courage to say Canada denied you visas. They can go to hell.
“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,” Ribadu said.
While reacting, the commission said it was aware of media reports related to planned travel to Canada by senior officials.
“However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any comment on the status of visa applications of specific individuals,” the commission said on X.
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, also condemned the Canadian Embassy’s denial of a visa to Musa.
Tunji-Ojo, who was a guest on a live television programme on Friday, said the action by the Canadian embassy is condemnable and shows a lack of respect for Nigeria as a country.
The minister questioned how an average Nigerian would be treated by the Canadian embassy if the Chief of Defence Staff were disrespected in that way.
“As much as we don’t want to dabble into that, it is not disrespectful 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.
