The Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC has denied allegations that it denied a former United States envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador John Campbell, a Visitor’s Visa as a result of his negative statements about the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Contrary to the feelings from some quarters, the Nigerian Embassy, through its ambassador, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, has declared that the embassy did not give the former U.S envoy any negative treatment, stressing that the visa section of the Chancery has stipulated conditions which must be met before any visa could be granted to anybody.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Friday afternoon, Ambassador Adebowale Adefuye said that Ambassador John Campbell was refused the visa he demanded as a result of incomplete documentation.
According to him, “Campbell applied for a visa to enable him attend a meeting of the Governing Council of the American University of Nigeria, owned by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as a member of the council but he did not meet the requirement regarding the timing of application and issuance of visas as stipulated by the Embassy.”
Professor Adefuye continued that the former United States ambassador to Nigeria submitted his visa application on May 5, 2011, to attend the event on May 11, 2011, as a member of the Governing Council of the American university of Nigeria, but did not give any proof to show that he is truly a member of the University’s Governing Council.
“The visa section informed Campbell to send in a proof to show his membership of the university’s Governing Council as he claimed,” he added.
The Nigerian envoy pressed further that it was so late for the embassy to issue the visa because it got the proof that John Campbell is truly a member of the university’s Governing Council very late, stressing that the visa was denied as a result of time factor.
“The Embassy contacted him over this decision, but he refused to tell the Embassy why he had to be given the visa even when it became clear that he could not travel to Nigeria to attend the event that made him apply for the visa in the first place,” Adefuye further said.
He also declared that it was all lies that the Embassy refused to grant Ambassador Campbell the visa because of his antagonism to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan.
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