The Invictus Games ended on February 16, with Team Nigeria winning medals, one of which was gold. However, even the relative success of the country’s depleted contingent was unfortunately overshadowed by the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa’s visa denial by the Canadian High Commission.
Top Nigerian officials reacted belligerently, saying it was a slap on Nigeria’s face. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, went overboard, telling Canada to “go to hell”.
The Canadian High Commission said it would not (for “privacy reasons”) make any comments on the specific individuals involved. The diplomatic kerfuffle was avoidable.
The Invictus Games, a brainchild of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, were conceived to use competitive sport to honour wounded and ill military personnel across the globe and help them in their healing journey. The first edition was held in London in 2014.
Nigeria was the only African country invited to the seventh edition of the games in Vancouver and Whistler in Canada. The CDS would have led the delegation but for the visa setback. Some athletes, including the team captain, were also affected.
Musa wondered why Canada denied them entry despite following “due process”.
“The visa denial must be addressed at all levels,” he said. “Nigeria is a great nation, and we deserve to be treated with respect.”
Developed economies are not moved by how often a country trumpets its greatness. Policy actions are taken based on needs and long-term goals, not external sentiments.
Two weeks before the visa incident, the Canadian government granted full authority to its immigration officials to cancel temporary resident documents under certain circumstances. Those circumstances may never be fully explained but anyone can read between the lines.
President Bola Tinubu’s untidy diplomatic policy plays into the hands of immigration-tightening countries.
He recalled ambassadors in September 2023 and has not replaced them. This is a tragic error. Even in medieval times, kings understood diplomacy and made good use of emissaries. By overlooking this time-tested mechanism for dispute resolution, Nigeria gets the short end of the stick in diplomatic circles.
Last year, the country’s senior football team, the Super Eagles, suffered unduly at the hands of some misguided Libyan officials chiefly because of a diplomatic lacuna. An ambassador in Tripoli could have tidied up the mess with his Libyan counterpart over tea.
Also, a High Commissioner in Ottawa could have nipped the visa furore in the bud.
It is a mystery that Tinubu fancies being the only face and voice of Nigeria’s interface with the world. Musa said the Foreign Affairs Ministry and NSA office were aware of the Canada travel plans, but those offices can’t replace an embassy. Things could get worse if Nigeria remains in diplomatic limbo.
Even with all diplomatic structures in place, how a country treats its people is a major determinant of how other countries treat it.
On human rights, Nigeria has done little to endear itself to the world. Troops storm communities and kill unarmed civilians, destroy livestock, and set food stock ablaze under the pretext of looking for criminals who assaulted military personnel.
Such savagery and impunity fly in the face of any country rooted in the rule of law and respect for human rights.
Nigeria must clean up to avoid exposing itself and its people to humiliating outcomes like the Canada visa tiff.
Musa’s visa denial was a blessing in disguise. Nigeria is in the grip of insecurity on multiple fronts and needs its top military leader to lead the fight from the front.
Nigeria is notorious for its outsized contingents to international events. Musa’s crowd and those of other senior military officers would have bloated the Nigerian delegation at great financial cost to the country. Canada saved Nigeria money.
