ABUJA, Nigeria — The Presidency has dismissed criticism over Nigeria’s “empty” booth at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), describing the focus on the stand as a misrepresentation of the country’s mission in Japan.
As TICAD9 opened on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, country booths welcomed investors and visitors, but Nigeria’s stand was left unmanned, prompting backlash from citizens online.
Many Nigerians decried what they saw as poor representation at a high-profile global forum.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially explained that the booth would be formally inaugurated on Thursday, August 21, 2025, a clarification that failed to calm critics, who dismissed it as an inadequate excuse.
In a statement, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said the narrative of an “empty” booth was “sensational” and failed to capture the full scope of Nigeria’s participation.
He stressed that Nigeria’s official delegation, working alongside leading private-sector players, was focused on tangible outcomes through bilateral and multilateral engagements rather than an expo-style exhibition.
“The Nigerian official delegation working with Corporate Nigeria, 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,” Onanuga said.
Onanuga outlined key meetings involving President Tinubu and Nigerian ministers:
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Investment Forum: Hosted by NACCIMA on Thursday, Aug. 21.
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Bilateral Talks: Tinubu is scheduled to meet executives from Toyota Corporation, CFAO, UN-Habitat, UNDP, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
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Power Projects: Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, is leading negotiations with JICA, TOSHIBA, and HITACHI on projects including:
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The Lagos-Ogun Power Transmission System Improvement Project.
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A Vocational Training Partnership between NAPTIN and JICA.
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The Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-up Project worth $190 million.
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Finance Engagements: The Bank of Industry, under Dr. Supo Olusi, is pursuing global fund syndication talks with JICA and other multilateral institutions.
