“It Is Disrespectful to Us as a People” – Minister of Interior Criticizes Canada for Denying CDS Visa

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has criticized the Canadian Embassy for denying a visa to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Musa.

The controversy arose when Gen. Musa disclosed that he and several senior military officers were denied visas to attend a Canadian event honoring war veterans. While some members of the delegation received their visas, others were left stranded after their applications were rejected.

Expressing his disappointment, Musa described the incident as a “wake-up call” for Nigeria to strengthen its sovereignty and prevent foreign nations from undermining it.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Tunji-Ojo condemned the Canadian Embassy’s actions as disrespectful to 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.”

Tunji-Ojo found no justification for Canada’s actions, stating that any concerns should have been addressed through diplomatic channels. He expressed confidence that Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would take appropriate steps to resolve the issue and uphold mutual respect between both nations.