Presidency clarifies Tinubu, Kagame met in Paris, AI tool used to enhance picture quality

*The Nigerian Presidency restates Presidents Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Paul Kagame met and dined in Paris, France, disproving the narrative in the public space that the picture of the two leaders’ meeting was AI-generated ‘is not correct’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Sequel to recent Netizens’ interrogation of the authenticity of a published picture of the event, the Nigerian Presidency has refuted certain reports claiming that a photograph of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame taken in Paris, France, was “generated”, using Artificial Intelligence.

Reacting to such claims in a local newspaper and the social media space, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement issued Monday, January 5, 2026, described the reports and subsequent social media commentary as a “misrepresentation of facts”.

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Earlier, the said photograph had appeared on the President Tinubu’s official X handle, where he said the discussions centred on international developments and the future of the African continent.

He 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.”

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ConsumerConnect reports Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, also shared the same image on his verified X account, stating that “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.”

The image, which bore the watermark of Grok, an AI tool developed by Elon Musk’s AI company, circulated widely on social media Sunday.

Ajayi, in the statement Monday, however, clarified that the photograph was actually taken in Paris, and it is genuine.

He explained that both Presidents Tinubu and Kagame met, and shared meals Sunday, January 4, during their private engagements in Paris, the French capital.

The Presidential media aide further stated: “The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI-generated is not correct.

“Both President Kagame and President Tinubu met in Paris and had lunch together on Sunday.”

He equally said: “The two leaders later had dinner with President Macron the same evening.”

According to Ajayi, the misrepresentation of facts about the authenticity of the event picture emanated from the poor quality of the original photograph taken with a smartphone, later enhanced using the Grok tech tool.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity insisted: “The picture was taken with a phone and obviously had poor quality.

“The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality.

“That is not a reason to conclude it was AI-generated.”

He dismissed some reports suggesting otherwise, emphasising the need for reporters and media professionals to verify information before publication when in doubt.

Ajayi added: “The writer or editor should have asked questions before this wrong conclusion.”

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