The Presidency on Wednesday strongly condemned what it described as the deliberate attempt by mischief-makers on social media to misrepresent Nigeria’s participation at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, through a misleading video of an empty booth labelled “NIGERIA.”
Let it be made clear: Nigeria did not attend TICAD9 to entertain idle critics or provide content for social media blackmailers.
“Our delegation, led by President Bola Tinubu, is in Japan for the serious business of securing investments, building strategic alliances, and advancing Nigeria’s economic transformation, not for gimmicks or photo opportunities at a trade expo,” the Presidency said in a statement issued by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The peddlers of this distortion, driven either by ignorance or malice, insult the intelligence of Nigerians by suggesting that the measure of our participation is an empty stall rather than the substantive negotiations being held at the highest levels of government and industry.
While the cynics are busy sharing videos, President Tinubu and his team are busy sitting across the table with global leaders, Toyota Corporation, CFAO, UN-Habitat, UNDP, and the International Finance Corporation to broker partnerships that will directly impact the lives of Nigerians.
In the power sector alone, Minister Adebayo Adelabu is advancing multi-billion-dollar Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) projects Lagos–Ogun Power Transmission System Improvement Project to stabilise the grid and boost industrial capacity; NAPTIN–JICA Vocational Training Partnership to upgrade human capital for the energy sector; Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-up Project, already backed by $190 million.
He is also negotiating with world-class manufacturers such as Toshiba and Hitachi, while the Bank of Industry, under Dr. Supo Olusi, is engaging JICA and multilateral financiers for expanded fund syndication to power Nigerian enterprises.
This is the real Nigeria story at TICAD9—serious engagements, real deals, and concrete results. It is shameful that some would rather reduce a global summit to a conversation about an unmanned booth.
The Presidency therefore warns that while social media cynics chase clout with half-truths, this administration remains focused on the hard work of nation-building and securing Nigeria’s place as a strong economic partner on the global stage.
AloJapan.com