By Dayo Johnson
AKURE—ONDO State Government yesterday expressed dismay over the refusal of entry Visas to Madrid by the  Spanish Embassy in Nigeria to its officials.

Some government officials of the State Government were expected to accompany an 11-year old winner of the 2009 MARE International Mountain Climbing Expedition, Master Akinwunmi Sunday Edward to Spain.

Those billed to travel with the boy included the State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Tola Wewe, Chief Press Secretary to Ondo State Governor, Mr. Olabisi Kolawole Edwards,  Chairman, Idanre Local Government Area, Mr. Sunday Taiwo Ayodele.

In requesting for the entry Visas for the boy and those who were to accompany him, the State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko had directed the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Aderotimi Adelola, to write to the Consular General of the Spanish Embassy intimating him with the intention for the trip.

A statement by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kolawole Olabisi said this was to enable the State Government to redeem its pledge to sponsor Akinwunmi to a country where there is mountain climbing.

The team had on November 10, gone to the Embassy and submitted their papers, paid all the required fees and were asked to come back on Tuesday, November 23, only to be refused entry visas.

The Information Commissioner Ranti Akerele in Akure  regretted the development,  insisting that the refusal of the request for entry permit was a rude shock and a setback for “2010 MARE Expedition”.

According to him, this was despite the media blight already given to the intended trip of the Young lad to Spain.

This, he noted, had been widely reported by both the Electronics and Print Media world wide and after following due process, the Spanish Consular could refuse them entry visas on the flimsy excuse that they may not be returning back to Nigeria and that they appear not to have sufficient means of subsistence if allowed to enter Madrid, their destination in Spain.

“In our opinion, this is a mundane, lame, absurd and laughable excuse adduced by the Spanish Embassy that officials of a State Government who, the State had expressly stated in its letter that it would be sponsoring would either bolt away or have no means of sponsoring their trip!

“Again, it is an affront to aver that these State officials who have subsisting and valid Visas to other very advanced nations and who have equally travelled to several countries and have returned home would now abscond in Madrid!

This, is no doubt, unacceptable and definitely not a nice way to carry out bilateral relation between two sovereign nations and we take serious exceptions to this. We are hoping the Consular General of Spain in Nigeria would make amends for this error of judgment made by his officials as we want to believe that he was not aware of this slight of sort on the integrity of Ondo State and by extension, our great nation, Nigeria in the interest of our two nations and in conformity with our fundamental human rights as expressly stated and sanctions by several statutes internationally,