Nigeria’s defense chief, General Christopher Musa, revealed on Thursday that the Canadian Embassy in Abuja has denied him and several senior military officers visas to attend the Invictus Games in Vancouver. The week-long event, organized by the Invictus Games Foundation led by the UK’s Prince Harry, kicked off on February 8 and is set to conclude on Saturday.
Speaking at a lecture hosted by the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies in Nigeria’s capital, Gen. Musa expressed his disappointment over the visa denial, emphasizing the significance of the Invictus Games, which support wounded military veterans. The event brings together troops from across the globe who have faced disabilities due to their service.
“Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria, and through the Invictus Games, they try to raise the morale of troops worldwide who have suffered one form of deformity or another while defending their respective countries,” Gen. Musa said. “We were supposed to be there. Actually, half of my team has already gone, but unfortunately, the Canadian Embassy, for reasons best known to them, denied us visas,” he added.
The general’s comments were echoed by Abuja’s national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who strongly condemned the denial, stating that “they can go to hell.” Ribadu described the visa snub as painful and disrespectful but also framed it as a call for Nigerians to “stand strong as a nation” and not be taken for granted. He stressed that this incident only reinforces the need for Nigeria to focus on internal improvement.
The Canadian Embassy has not yet commented on the matter. The denial occurs amidst Canada’s tightening immigration policies, as well as Nigeria’s own steps to reduce government spending on international travel. Last year, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu temporarily suspended all publicly funded international travel for government officials, approving only trips deemed “absolutely necessary.”
