BREAKING: Tinubu delegation at TICAD9 focused on high-level deals, not trade expo — Presidency

By Kunle Sanni –

The Presidency has dismissed criticism over Nigeria’s unmanned booth at the ongoing Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan, saying the country’s official delegation did not travel to attend a trade fair.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Bola Tinubu and his team are engaged in “strategic, high-level meetings” with global business leaders and multilateral institutions rather than manning exhibition stands.

“The Nigerian official delegation, working with Corporate Nigeria and represented by some of our leading business leaders, didn’t come to Yokohama and Tokyo to attend any trade expo, designed as an open forum for participating nations,” the statement read.

The clarification followed social media outrage after a viral video showed Nigeria’s booth at TICAD9 empty, prompting some random participants to step in as volunteers. Critics questioned why millions of naira were spent on the delegation’s travel if the booth remained closed while other countries’ pavilions were open.

According to the Presidency, the booth will be inaugurated on Thursday, August 21, during an investment forum hosted by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

Meanwhile, the Presidency revealed that President Tinubu and his ministers would hold bilateral talks with Toyota Corporation, CFAO, UN-Habitat, UNDP, the International Finance Corporation, and Japanese agencies. Key negotiations include power-sector projects funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), such as the Lagos-Ogun Power Transmission System Improvement, vocational training partnerships with the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN), and a $190 million Distributed Renewable Energy Scale-up program.

The statement added that the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, is also in talks with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Toshiba and Hitachi, while the Bank of Industry is seeking global fund syndication through meetings with JICA and other financiers.

Onanuga said the viral video misrepresented Nigeria’s participation: “Social media posts are often sensational and do not tell complete stories. Our country is fully and well represented and part of the essential conversations and negotiations going on at TICAD9.”