US Protests Campbell’s Visa Denial

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United States has protested the denial of visa to Mr. John Campbell, its former envoy to Nigeria, by the Nigerian embassy in Washing-ton DC.

Meanwhile, United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, will be visiting Nigeria next week during which he would meet with President Goodluck Jonathan.
The visit by the UN scribe to Nigeria is coming weeks after the nation successfully conducted its general elections and about a year after a scheduled visit was cancelled.
A statement issued by his office in New York said during the visit, the UN scribe would also meet with the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega.
Campbell, a Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, who served as US ambassador to Nigeria between 2004 and 2007, had on May 5, 2011 requested for visa to 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.
Media reports later quoted a foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr. Damian Agwu, that Campbell's application for visa had been denied because he did not meet requirements for visa to Nigeria.
Thurday, a source at the US State Department told THISDAY that since the issue was reported by the media, there had been official communication between the Nigerian Embassy on one hand, and the State Department and the US embassy in Nigeria, on the issue.
The source said the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, William Fitzgerald, had protested the refusal of Nigeria to approve Campbell's visa application, while the US embassy in Abuja had also made similar complaint.
"We are in touch with the Nigerian embassy on the issue and Mr. Fritzgerald, has specifically made our opinion known. Our mission in Abuja is also following it up. We are particularly concerned because he is our former envoy to Nigeria", the source said.
The State Department source said the Nigerian embassy had also explained the circumstances surrounding the denial of the visa, but would not reveal the details to THISDAY.
A source who works at the visa section of the Nigerian Embassy however told THISDAY that Campbell was denied visa because he did not meet stipulated requirements, and had been asked to come and retrieve his passport.
"Like every other country, we have a procedure for visa application which includes the stipulated processing period. His application did not meet that laid down procedure, which include submitting application seven working days before the planned trip to Nigeria," the source said.
The source further explained that Campbell applied for Visa on May 5, 2011,as a member of the Governing Council of the American University of Nigeria, to attend the meeting of institution's council slated for May 11, 2011.
The source said campbell - who had been branded "a propeht of doom", because of what is considered as his negative remarks about Nigeria's political situation, and specifically because of his book titled, " Nigeria:
Dancing on the brink", which created a scenario of disintegration as a possible fallout of the recently held general elections - was asked to provide proof of his membership of the governing board of the institution to complete the application.
THISDAY was told that by the time the embassy received the proof, it was a day to the scheduled meeting in Nigeria and had become clear that he would not be able to make the meeting.
"In our view, it would be impossible for him to be at the meeting. So in line we our standard procedure, we requested that he should appear at the embassy to give additional reason why he wanted to go to Nigeria since he would not be able to attend the meeting on which basis he had applied for visa.
"Up till now he has failed to appear and that has made it impossible for us to give approval to his application".
The embassy source, who said he guessed Campbell wanted to be treated differently, added that all countries have visa application procedure they follow, and that Nigerian Senators, judges and top government officials usually appear before US embassy to complete their visa processing.
It was also gathered that the Nigerian mission while responding to US' complaint, made its position known about what it called inciting remarks and publications by the former US envoy which, it said are capable of causing political crisis in the country.
When THISDAY called Campbell yesterday to get his reaction, he said he had not been officially informed of the status of his visa. He told THISDAY that his application for visa was submitted to the Nigerian Embassy by the office of American University of Nigeria in Washington.
Campbell said when the institution called the embassy yesterday morning, it could not confirm the status of his visa.
When asked whether he thinks this had to do with his various remarks and publications on Nigeria, he said he would wait until he had been formally informed.

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Posted: at 21-05-2011 07:44 AM (12 years ago) | Gistmaniac

He's lucky that its not in China... he would hv been jailed for making some senseless comments about Nigeria 

Posted: at 21-05-2011 08:15 AM (12 years ago) | Gistmaniac

abi ohhhhhh na waiting now Us self

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Posted: at 21-05-2011 12:10 PM (12 years ago) | Gistmaniac

its not late yet , thanks to little bingo , let him come ooo, a room is reserved for him now at KIRI-KIRI maximum prison

Posted: at 21-05-2011 10:17 PM (12 years ago) | Grande Master

we get every right to do that ooo

Posted: at 22-05-2011 07:05 AM (12 years ago) | Grande Master