Nigeria, Canada, and the visa drama

Nigeria’s top military officers, including the Chief of Defence Staff, were denied Canadian visas, and instead of asking the right questions, we erupted in outrage. The truth is embarrassingly simple. Normal diplomatic protocols were ignored. Canada, like any serious country, requires a Note Verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to process visas for high-ranking military delegations. It is not a formality. It is the official proof that the Nigerian government has approved the trip. Without it, no self-respecting nation would grant visas to foreign generals. But here we are, treating due process as an insult and expecting Canada to hand out visas on self-recognition.

Rather than quietly fixing the mess, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who is not a diplomat, went on a tirade against Canada, as though bluster could replace missing paperwork. In any serious country, the minister of Foreign Affairs would have quietly stepped in to resolve the issue. But in Nigeria, we mistake influence for process. The assumption is that because these are generals, rules should not apply.

A request for a Note Verbale does not mean visas were refused. It means the proper process was not followed. But Nigeria loves a good conspiracy. Instead of admitting an administrative failure, we manufactured outrage, portraying ourselves as victims of some diplomatic injustice.

Each of these generals could have obtained a Canadian tourist visa on their own. But this was not a vacation. It was an official military delegation, which means a different level of scrutiny, clearance, and intergovernmental communication. Any host country must verify that the visit has full government backing and aligns with international protocols. Canada was not being difficult. It was being responsible.

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This incident is not just about visas. It is a mirror reflecting our deeper dysfunction. We operate on entitlement, assuming that power bends rules. We believe authority should override process, forgetting that real power comes from order, not chaos. Most importantly, it exposes the lack of coordination in government. A simple administrative step was ignored, and instead of fixing it quietly, we embarrassed ourselves on the international stage.

The lesson is brutal but necessary. The world does not operate on emotions. Diplomatic processes exist for a reason, and Canada will not lower its standards to accommodate our disregard for order. If Nigeria wants to be taken seriously, it must start by respecting the very systems that give a country credibility. The alternative is to keep shouting at the world for enforcing rules we refuse to follow. But noise is not governance, and bluster is not diplomacy.

Stephanie Shaakaa, University of Agriculture, Makurdi