Japan Visa Saga: Tinubu Gov’t Desperate For Positive Headlines, Says ADC Spokesman

The national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has accused the Bola Tinubu administration of desperation after Japan denied creating a special visa category for skilled Nigerians.

Abdullahi, a former minister of sports, was reacting to the clarification by the Japanese foreign ministry on Monday that it had no plans to issue any special visas for Nigerians or Africans.

READ ALSO: Japan Denies Plans To Create Special Visas For Nigerians

“On the other hand, there are no plans to take measures to promote the acceptance of immigrants or issue special visas for residents of African countries, and the series of reports and announcements concerning such measures are not true,” the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

This was in direct contradiction to an earlier statement released by Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of Information at the State House, on August 22. Oladunjoye had claimed that Japanese authorities would introduce “a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work.”

The government statement also suggested that “artisans and other blue-collar workers from Nigeria who are ready to upskill will benefit from the special dispensation visa to work in Japan.”

But Abdullahi dismissed the claim as misleading and damaging to Nigeria’s credibility. Writing on X, he said, “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.”

He added, “The truth is, with this government, we don’t know what to believe anymore. This embarrassment just has to stop.”

The visa controversy has sparked criticism from opposition figures, who argued that the federal government’s handling of the matter has further dented Nigeria’s international image.