• Canada High Commission
• CDS
• Musa
• Ribadu

CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSION SPEAKS ON VISA DENIAL TO NIGERIAN OFFICIALS

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  Nicolas Adekeye / 3 weeks
• 0
• 2 min read

The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria has broken its silence on reports of visa denial to senior Nigerian officials, including Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Christopher Musa. In a statement on X (Formerly Twitter), the High Commission acknowledged media reports related to planned travel to Canada by senior officials but declined to comment on individual visa applications due to privacy reasons. The development comes after Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, criticized the Canadian embassy for denying visas to Musa and other top military officers. Musa had revealed that he and his team were invited to Canada for an event honoring war veterans, but half of the delegation was denied visas. Musa described the incident as “disappointing,” emphasizing that it serves as a reminder for Nigeria to “stand strong as a nation” and not be taken for granted. “Every disappointment is a blessing. Yesterday, I was meant to be in Canada. There’s an event to honor 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,” he said. Ribadu commended Musa for speaking out about the incident, saying, “Thank you for the courage to say Canada denied you visas. They can go to hell.” Ribadu emphasized that despite the disappointment, Nigeria is “peaceful and strong” and must work hard to overcome such challenges. He also praised Musa for providing “purposeful leadership” in the war against insecurity.