In a surprising turn of events at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, Nigeria’s booth appeared unmanned on the opening day of the summit. The empty booth caught the attention of attendees, leading to widespread criticism on social media.

Several delegates at the conference, including Idris Ayodeji Bello, took to social media to express their disappointment, noting that Nigeria’s booth was the only one left unstaffed. Bello shared his frustration on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

“I hate to show negative things about Nigeria, but it is sad that Nigeria is the only unmanned booth at TICAD9 in Japan… So ashamed I have now designated myself as Honorary Consul and taken over the booth to engage visitors.”

Bello, alongside fellow attendee Dr. Ola Brown, later confirmed their efforts in manning the booth and interacting with visitors, despite the lack of official representation. Dr. Brown shared on social media:

“Had an interesting time manning the Nigeria booth today with Idris. Unfortunately, the booth was left unstaffed by the Nigerian public sector team…”

In response to the criticism, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, clarifying that the booth had not been abandoned but was instead awaiting its official inauguration. According to the ministry, the booth was set to open formally on Thursday, 21 August 2025, a day after the summit began. The ministry further explained that this is standard procedure for such events, citing similar practices at the Dubai and Doha Expos, where booths are opened with ceremonial ribbon-cutting events.

The delay in the booth’s opening did little to quell the growing discontent among Nigerians, many of whom expressed their concerns online. Critics argued that inaugurating the booth on the second day of the summit, while other countries had their booths operational from day one, was unprofessional and undermined Nigeria’s global image.

The incident has raised questions about Nigeria’s preparedness and management of its international engagements. It has also sparked discussions about the country’s diplomatic readiness and the importance of projecting a strong and efficient presence at global events.

As the summit progresses, many will be watching closely to see if Nigeria’s delegation can recover from the early mishap and make the most of its participation in TICAD9.