The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has berated the Bola Tinubu administration following Japan’s denial of claims that it had created a special visa category for Nigerians.

ADC’s interim spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the development as “an embarrassment,” accusing the government of fabricating information in a desperate bid for positive publicity.

The controversy stems from an August 22 statement issued by the State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, which claimed that Japan would issue special visas to skilled Nigerians. The announcement, widely reported in local and international media, was linked to the launch of the JICA Africa Hometown initiative during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama.

However, the Japanese Foreign Ministry clarified that the programme was designed only to foster exchanges between Japanese cities and African countries, with no provision for immigration measures or special visas.

“The series of reports and announcements concerning special visas are not true,” the Japanese statement read.

Reacting, Abdullahi accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of spreading falsehoods.
“At TICAD9, the APC government claimed that the Japanese authorities had agreed to issue ‘special visa categories’ to Nigerians. This denial shows how desperate the government has become for positive headlines,” he said.

“With this government, we no longer know what to believe. This embarrassment has to stop.”