The Nigeria exhibition booth at the ongoing ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan has drawn widespread criticism after it was found unmanned on the first day of the summit. Idris Bello, a participant at the event, brought the incident to public attention by sharing a video and pictures of the empty booth on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Bello expressed his disappointment, stating, “I hate to show negative things about Nigeria but it is sad that Nigeria is the only unmanned booth at TICAD9 in Japan”.
The TICAD9 summit, which runs from August 20 to 22, 2025, brings together key stakeholders from across Africa and Japan to discuss development partnerships, innovation, and trade. Nigeria’s absence from its own booth has raised eyebrows, especially given President Bola Tinubu’s presence in Tokyo ahead of the summit. Tinubu is expected to hold bilateral meetings and engage with Japanese companies investing in Nigeria during the conference.
Feeling compelled to act, Bello designated himself as an “Honorary Consul” and took over the booth to engage with visitors. He fielded questions from international delegates and investors on various topics, including agriculture, real estate, oil and gas, and manufacturing. Dr. Ola Brown, HealthCap Africa founder, also joined Bello in staffing the booth, describing her experience as “interesting” despite the initial lack of representation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, responded to the criticism, stating that the booth would be officially inaugurated on Thursday, August 21, after which it would become fully operational. Ebienfa explained that countries often inaugurate their stands on different days at such conferences, citing the Dubai Expo and Doha Expo as examples.
The incident has sparked questions about Nigeria’s coordination and preparedness, potentially impacting the country’s image and relationships with international partners. As the summit continues, it remains to be seen how Nigeria’s delegation will rectify the situation and make the most of the conference.
