Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has come under fire after the country’s booth was seen unmanned at the ongoing Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan.

A Nigerian entrepreneur, Idris Ayodeji Bello, took to his X handle to berate the development, lamenting that Nigeria appeared to be the only country without representatives at its stand.

According to Bello, several Japanese delegates had approached him for information about Nigeria, prompting him to step in and engage visitors.

“So ashamed I have now designated myself as Honorary Consul and taken over the booth to engage visitors,” Bello wrote.

The post quickly attracted criticism online, with some Nigerians describing the incident as an embarrassment to the country’s image abroad, while others dismissed it as a scheduling issue that had been exaggerated.

Reacting to the backlash, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, clarified that the Nigerian booth had not yet been officially launched.

“Contrary to claims circulating, the Nigerian booth at #TICAD9 is yet to be unveiled. The official opening is scheduled for Thursday, August 21, 2025, after which it will be fully operational to welcome and serve TICAD delegates,” Olusegun explained.

Amid the controversy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed that while the exhibition schedule opened earlier, Nigeria’s booth would only be formally inaugurated on Thursday.

TICAD, a major forum for African development in partnership with Japan, brings together heads of state, policymakers, business leaders, and investors to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.