There were hints yesterday that the Canadian Embassy had made a diplomatic blunder in refusing the visas of top military officials and Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Christopher Musa.
Without a Note Verbale (diplomatic note) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the affected officers sought for Canadian visas. However, last night, the Federal Government intervened and attempted to turn the situation around.
A top source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “There was a diplomatic error on the part of desk officers who handled the CDS and others’ visa applications.
“There was no Note Verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contrary to existing protocol for any trip by high-ranking government officials.
“Since, those going for the trip are top military chiefs.
“At this level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ought to attach a Note Verbale indicating that the trip was genuine without security implications.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “The Federal Government is discussing with Canadian Embassy officials to salvage the situation.
“All I can tell you is that there is no diplomatic issue with Canada. We are only trying to get a few things right.”
Gen. Musa spoke openly about the incident saying he and his team were scheduled to attend a war veterans event in Canada but were denied entry.
“Every disappointment is a blessing. Yesterday (Wednesday), I was meant to be in Canada.
“There’s an event to honour our veterans, those injured during battles, and we were meant to be there.
“We were invited with our team. Half of the team have gone and the other half have been denied. It’s very disappointing,” Musa said.
Several comments indicate that the Canadian Embassy were being ‘disrespectful’ by not granting visas to some of our military top brass, including the CDS, who were scheduled to attend a formal event in their country.
The question is????? Do you think the Canadian Embassy was disrespectful? And what should the Nigerian government do, in your opinion, to prevent a repeat of this?
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Rose Ajieh
