The Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has come under scrutiny after sharing an image that allegedly shows President Bola Tinubu meeting with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda in Paris, France. The image, which circulated widely on social media, was later flagged as potentially generated by artificial intelligence.
The post, shared on Sunday, January 4, 2026, by President Tinubu and his aides, depicted both leaders seated together in what was described as a private diplomatic engagement in the French capital. In the accompanying statement, President Tinubu wrote: “This afternoon, I had a private lunch with H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda to discuss the current state of world affairs and advancing Africa in an ever-changing global landscape.”
Okay News reports that the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, reinforced the message with a post stating: “President Bola Tinubu at a private lunch in Paris with the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.” Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said: “President Bola Tinubu at a private lunch in Paris with the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, discussing world affairs and advancing Africa. Sunday, January 4, 2026.”
However, the credibility of the image has been questioned following a note appended to President Tinubu’s post on X (formerly Twitter), which stated: “While a meeting between Mr Tinubu and President Kagame is reported to have held in Paris, the image in this post appears to be AI-generated, given the GrokAI badge.” Grok is a generative artificial intelligence platform developed by xAI, a company owned by United States entrepreneur Elon Musk, capable of producing realistic images and text-based responses.
The revelation has sparked debate in Nigeria over the use of AI in official presidential communications, particularly for matters involving international diplomacy. Notably, President Kagame’s verified X account does not feature the image or reference the meeting. As of the last check, the Rwandan leader’s latest post pertained to English football club Arsenal Football Club, dated November 27, 2025.
The Nigerian Presidency has yet to clarify the rationale for using an AI-generated image to depict the engagement or confirm whether an authentic photograph exists from the meeting.
