My paper, ‘beyond institutional
autonomy: a quadrumvirate interaction theory of civil-military relations’ was
accepted for presentation at the 2019 Biennial International Conference of the Inter-University
Seminar on Armed Forces and Society scheduled for November 8-10, 2019 at the
Hyatt Regency, Reston, Virginia. However, I am unable to attend the conference
because I was denied visa at the US Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. In this entry, I
wish to highlight and add my voice to the concerns academics and non-academics,
especially those from the ‘Global South’ face in securing visas to enable them
attend conferences in the supposed ‘developed world.’ Hence, this entry is a
personal reflection on the US visa regime in Nigeria, and its nexus with criminology.

Individual visas are often issued
based on the merit of an application and the adequacy of the supporting
documents submitted by applicants who are also required to pay certain fees and
charges…