By Muhammad Mamman
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the Bola Tinubu administration after Japan publicly dismissed claims that it intended to create a special visa category for Nigerians.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary and a former Minister of Sports, described the episode as a national embarrassment, accusing the Federal Government of “peddling misinformation” in a desperate attempt to secure favourable headlines.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Monday, flatly rejected reports suggesting it planned to offer Nigerians or other Africans preferential visa arrangements.
The ministry clarified: “There are no plans to take measures to promote the acceptance of immigrants or issue special visas for residents of African countries. The series of reports and announcements concerning such measures are not true.”
This declaration directly contradicted an earlier statement from the Nigerian State House, dated 22 August, in which Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of Information, claimed that Japan had agreed to introduce a “special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians” wishing to live and work in Kisarazu. The statement also suggested that artisans and blue-collar workers from Nigeria would be eligible under the supposed new arrangement.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Abdullahi said the Japanese government’s rebuttal amounted to a damning indictment of the Tinubu administration.
He wrote: “At #TICAD9, the APC Federal Government claimed that the Japanese authorities had agreed to issue ‘special visa categories’ to Nigerians. This denial by the Japanese authorities shows that the Tinubu/APC government have become so desperate for positive headlines that they would not mind spreading #FakeNews. The truth is, with this government, we don’t know what to believe anymore. This embarrassment just has to stop.”
The controversy has further fuelled criticism of the administration’s credibility, raising fresh questions over the handling of official communications and the government’s apparent eagerness to present unverified claims as diplomatic achievements.
