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Empty Nigerian stand
Nigerians attending the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama have voiced deep frustration over the absence of government officials at Nigeria’s booth, which was left unattended on the opening day of the event.
The three-day summit, running from August 20 to 22, brings together key stakeholders from across Africa and Japan to discuss development partnerships, innovation, and trade. However, Nigeria’s official presence has been notably missing, leaving private citizens to step in.
Ayodeji Idris, a Nigerian attendee, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his dismay at the situation.
“I hate to show negative things about Nigeria but it is sad that Nigeria is the only unmanned booth at TICAD9 in Japan. Upon all the folks who probably got estacode for coming to Japan,” Idris wrote.
“So ashamed I have now designated myself as Honorary Consul and taken over the booth to engage visitors,” he added.
His frustration was echoed by others, including Dr. Ola Brown, who also volunteered to staff the booth alongside Idris.
“Had an interesting time manning the Nigeria booth today with Idris,” she shared on X.
“Unfortunately, the booth was left unstaffed by the Nigerian public sector team, but we still had engaging conversations with academics, private business owners, and NGOs who asked great questions.”
The conference, regarded as a key platform for strengthening economic ties between Japan and Africa, presents critical opportunities for partnerships—opportunities which many fear Nigeria is squandering due to official negligence.
David Brown, another Nigerian professional present at the summit, also criticised the situation.
“We are on ground to support our dear country,” he tweeted.
“But this is so disappointing, more so that the Japanese are so eager to do business with us, but we prioritise vibes!! Anyway, we are on ground in Japan.”
As discussions and networking continue at TICAD 9, questions linger over the lack of coordination from Nigeria’s official delegation, and what it signals to potential international partners. (BusinessDay)
