A country that cannot follow its own rules cannot expect the world to take it seriously. And yet, here we are again, turning an avoidable mistake into a national embarrassment.
Nigeria’s top military officers were denied Canadian visas and instead of addressing the issue with quiet diplomacy, we launched into outrage. But let’s be clear. This was not a diplomatic insult. It was a failure of basic protocol.
Canada, like any serious nation, requires a Note Verbale, an official communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to process visas for high ranking military officials. It is not just paperwork. It is a guarantee that the Nigerian government has approved the trip. Without it, no responsible country would grant visas to a foreign military delegation.
But in Nigeria, we assume titles override rules. We believe power should replace process. And when reality proves otherwise, we scream injustice.
Rather than quietly fixing the issue, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who is not a diplomat, took to public outbursts. The actual diplomat, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, should have handled it professionally. But instead, we made noise.
And the media? They did what they do best, fuel the fire. “Visa Denial,” the headlines screamed, twisting a routine diplomatic request into a scandal. Canada did not deny the visas outright. It simply asked for the required documentation. That is standard procedure anywhere in the world. The problem was not Canada. The problem was Nigeria’s refusal to follow the process.
Now, let’s be honest. If these generals wanted to visit Canada privately, they could apply for a tourist visa like any other Nigerian. But this was not a private trip. It was an official military delegation. And that means a different level of scrutiny. Any host country must verify that the visit has full government backing. Canada was not being difficult. It was being responsible.
This incident is bigger than visas. It is a mirror reflecting our dysfunction. It exposes our belief that influence should replace due process. It is the same mindset that weakens our institutions, fuels corruption, and makes Nigeria an unpredictable and unserious actor on the global stage.
Here is the truth we refuse to accept. The! world does not run on entitlement. It runs on systems. Countries do not bend their laws because of a title or a rank. They follow the process. Until we understand that, we will keep embarrassing ourselves on the global stage.
Diplomacy is not noise. Governance is not entitlement. And shouting at the world will never replace doing the right thing.
Shaakaa Stephanie
University of Agriculture, Makurdi,
Benue State.
