Anti-Gay Law: Jonathan Was Not Scheduled To Visit Canada, Says Canadian High Commission

The Canadian High Commission has denied media reports that a state visit being planned by President Goodluck Jonathan to Canada in February has been cancelled by the Canadian government. According to the reports, the cancellation was the North American country’s way of registering its strong opposition to the recent signing of the anti-gay bill into law by the federal government. The reports also said that the Nigerian Ambassador to Canada, Ojo Madueke, was told to communicate news of the cancellation of the state visit to President Jonathan, which was reportedly scheduled for February 13 -14, 2014. But when contacted, the Canadian High Commission in Abuja said that there was no visit ever scheduled for next month by President Jonathan to Canada. “But we look forward to welcoming President Jonathan on a future date”, the High Commission said, adding that “Basically, Canada and Nigeria enjoy shared opportunities for economic, social and security cooperation”.