The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has expressed concern over the decision of the Canadian Embassy to deny a visa to Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa.

Condemning the act, Tunji-Ojo described the action as disrespectful to Nigeria. The Minister stated this on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, on Friday, February 14, 2025.

He wondered how an average Nigerian would be treated by the Canadian embassy if the Chief of Defence Staff was disrespected in that manner.

“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 and migration management is a sovereign issue.

“As much as we don’t want to dabble into that, it is not just 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,” he said.

During the inaugural annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies in Abuja, General Musa revealed that the Canadian embassy denied him and some members of his team visas to attend an event to honor war veterans in Canada.

This has generated mixed reactions from Nigerians.