President Bola Ahmed Tinubu departed Yokohama, Japan, on Thursday night for the ultra-long-haul flight to Brazil, where he will begin a state visit on August 24.
 
President Tinubu will have a stopover in Los Angeles before continuing his journey to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.
 
President Tinubu began his two-nation visit on Friday, August 15, when he departed Abuja. He and his entourage stopped over in Dubai, UAE, and arrived in Yokohama early in the morning on August 18.
 
After attending the opening ceremony and plenary of the ninth Tokyo International Conference for African Development( TICAD9) on August 20, President Tinubu held some bilateral meetings, culminating in the interactive session with diaspora Nigerians on Thursday night.
 
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
August 22, 2025 

Yokohama

The Enugu State Government has announced traffic restrictions ahead of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual Conference, billed to hold in the state from 22nd–29th August 2025.

In a notice on Wednesday, the Ministry of Transportation directed motorists, tricycle riders, and commercial buses to avoid certain roads, including Sullivan/Roban Junction, Rangers Avenue, Cubana Junction, IMT by SPAR, and Toscana Junction.

Alternative routes such as Presidential Road, Ogui Road, Zik Avenue, Agbani Road, and New Haven remain open to ease traffic.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Police Command says it has deployed massive security ahead of the event. Commissioner of Police Kanayo Giwa assured participants and residents of a safe conference, urging vigilance and cooperation with security operatives.

Emergency hotlines have also been released: 08032003702, 08086671202, 112, 09134666668, 09134448093.

The NBA Conference is expected to draw thousands of lawyers, dignitaries, and stakeholders from across Nigeria.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has approved the creation of two (2) Area Commands and the upgrade of five (5) Police Stations to Divisions in Benue State.

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Edet Udeme, in a Statement discloses that the structural adjustment becomes necessary as a result of challenges that befalls the command in the course of policing troubled Local Government Areas.

The PPRO adds that an appraisal of the current security challenges and operations carried out in recent times reveals that some geographical gaps exist between the police and the people in some Local Government Areas hence, the adjustment.

The two Area Commands created are; Daudu Area Command and Naka Area Command, while the five police stations that have been upgraded to police Divisions are Ayilamo, Yelwata, Jato-Aka, Okpokolo and Agan Police Divisions.

The Statement explains that Daudu Area Command shall supervise Guma, Daudu yelwata and Agan Police Divisions, while Naka Area Command shall supervise Naka, Apa, Agatu and Okpokolo Police Divisions.

This adjustment will assist the command in policing troubled areas with large and difficult terrains. These Divisions will also ensure quick resolution of conflict between farmers and herders and facilitate quick response to distress calls.

The Commissioner of Police , CP. Emenari Ifeanyi, PhD, psc, mnips appreciates the Inspector General of Police for his continuous support to the command and this crucial adjustment that is geared toward bringing permanent solutions to the challenges bedeviling these areas.

The CP also appreciates the Governor of Benue state, Hyacinth Iormen Alia, for his support to the command in the fight to ensure security of lives and property in Benue State.

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The 2023 Presidential candidate of Labour Mr Peter Obi have reacted to reports of empty Nigerian booths in the ongoing Ninth Tokyo International Conference, TICAD9 in Japan.

The empty Nigerian booths in the ongoing Ninth Tokyo International Conference, TICAD9, in Japan do not just define the empty promises of this government for the past two years, they also reflect the consistent emptiness Nigerians have been fed at home by this government. Even the defence being put forward by the government, that they only wanted to have more “strategic engagements” is the same tired excuse we have heard over and over again.

READ ALSO: 1. Nigeria’s Empty Booth at TICAD9 Sparks Backlash

2. Reflections on the Labour Party’s Challenges: A Call for Peter Obi to Pause and Ponder

This government has mastered the art of throwing around wrong statistics and misleading statements, not to provide real solutions, but to camouflage the emptiness of its performance and the suffering it has inflicted on Nigerians.

The empty booths at TICAD are not just about a diplomatic embarrassment, they are a clear symbol of the hollow promises and empty governance that our citizens have endured.

Just as those booths stood empty in Japan, so too have the lives of millions of Nigerians been left empty, with empty hope, empty relief and empty of the progress they were promised. The truth is unavoidable, the empty booths abroad are a physical reminder of the empty promises at home.
We must do better as a nation.

A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

NIGERIA’S PARTICIPATION AT TICAD 9: FOCUSING ON STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENTS, NOT TRADE EXPOS

Meanwhile Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy has stated that Nigeria’s participation at the TICAD 9 is focusing on strategic engagement not trade expos.

A statement posted on his verified X handle reads;

The trending social media narrative about an empty booth labelled ‘NIGERIA’ at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, totally misrepresented our country’s mission and activities at the conference.

While we understand the urge by many social media users to seek clicks with many incorrect posts, we also recognise that the author may have acted out of patriotic concern. But it is a concern inspired by ignorance about Nigeria’s mission at the triennial conference.

READ ALSO: PRESIDENT TINUBU PRAISES NIGERIA’S ARMED FORCES AT TICAD 9 AS JAPANESE PM PLEDGES $5.5 BILLION SUPPORT FOR AFRICA

The Nigerian delegation to the summit, led by President Bola Tinubu, is laser-focused on its core objectives of achieving tangible outcomes from the scheduled lineup of bilateral and multilateral engagements targeted at driving optimum performance in key sectors of the economy, especially in power, industry and agriculture.

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.

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) is scheduled to host an investment forum on Thursday, August 21, 2025

The Nigerian ministers are busy with bilateral sideline discussions. At the same time, President Tinubu will lead meetings with the executives of Toyota Corporation, CFAO, UN-Habitat, UNDP, and the International Finance Corporation. The delegation’s schedule does not include participation in an open forum trade exhibition.

Specifically, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, is leading the pre-activation meeting to execute several power projects in Nigeria that are being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

One of the projects is the Lagos-Ogun Power Transmission System Improvement, which is designed to improve the wheeling capacity and grid stability and enable the connection of industrial customers on the corridor.

There is also the partnership between the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN) and JICA to enhance Vocational Training Delivery for the power sector. The third power project is the Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-up, for which $190 million has been provided.

The Minister of Power is scheduled to negotiate with notable Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as TOSHIBA and HITACHI.

The Bank of Industry, led by its Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dr. Supo Olusi, is also in high-level discussions with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and other participating multilateral institutions for its annual global fund syndication.

Social media posts are often sensational and do not tell complete stories, just as the trending video does not capture Nigeria’s participation at TICAD 9. Our country is fully and well represented and part of the essential conversations and negotiations that are going on at TICAD9.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President,
(Information and Strategy)
August 20, 2025

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Nigeria came under heavy criticism on Wednesday after its exhibition booth stood unmanned on the opening day of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan.

Videos shared by social entrepreneur Idris Ayodeji Bello showed Nigeria’s stall deserted while other African nations showcased investment opportunities. Bello, who described the scene as “embarrassing,” stepped in to engage visitors himself, fielding questions on sectors ranging from agriculture to real estate. His intervention went viral on social media, amplifying outrage at what many Nigerians viewed as a symbol of poor planning and institutional inefficiency.

Critics, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, described the incident as a “national disgrace” that undermines President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s push to attract foreign investors. Online commentators echoed the sentiment, lamenting that Nigeria had missed a chance to promote trade and development at one of Africa’s most important diplomatic gatherings.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs moved quickly to calm the uproar, explaining that the booth was scheduled for official inauguration on August 21, the second day of the conference. The Presidency also defended Nigeria’s participation, stressing that the government was prioritizing strategic bilateral and multilateral engagements with partners including Toyota, JICA, UNDP, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), rather than the exhibition component.

Despite these clarifications, the empty booth episode fueled renewed debate about Nigeria’s global image, coordination failures, and the credibility of its investment drive. Observers say the incident highlights the urgent need for greater professionalism in projecting the country’s strengths on the international stage.