Ex-envoy's daughter says her parents were denied visas for fear of Japa

Bolanle Olukanni, the daughter of Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, the former Nigerian Commissioner to Australia between 2011 and 2015, has lamented that her parents were denied visas because of fear they won’t return.

Olukanni who shared her frustration with having a Nigerian passport via her X handle on Monday said her father who was a retired ambassador who lived in Austria for three years was denied a visa alongside his mum over fear of returning to the country.

She wrote, “I just want you guys to know that the Nigeria passport has been bastardized. My father is a retired Ambassador who lived and served in Austria for three years.

“He applied for a Schengen visa alongside my mum, and the Austrian embassy denied their visas.

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She also lamented that 30 years of her father’s service to the country as a foreign service officer was disrespected.

“Do you realize the lack of diplomacy and courtesy and disregard for a country you have to have to deny a former foreign service officer a visa? A Foreign Service officer who served for 30 years and has been to over 30 countries.”

She further expressed her frustrations with the consulate, which thought her father wanted to stay in Austria, adding, “They think he wants to go to Japan. I’m so insulted. Lord.”

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.