Tinubu–Kagame photo not AI-generated – Presidency

The Presidency has dismissed claims circulating on social media that a photograph showing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, taken in Paris, France, was generated using artificial intelligence.

The photograph, released on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, shows President Tinubu in a meeting with President Kagame in Paris. Onanuga shared the image on his social media platforms, while the photo also appeared on the President’s official X handle.

In a post accompanying the image, President Tinubu said the engagement focused on global issues and Africa’s future.

“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,” the President wrote.

Onanuga similarly stated: “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.”

Shortly after the image was shared, it sparked controversy on social media—particularly on X—with some users alleging that it had been generated using AI.

Responding to the claims, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, dismissed the speculation, describing the reports and online commentary as a misrepresentation of facts.

Ajayi insisted that the photograph was authentic, adding that both leaders met in Paris on Sunday.

“President Kagame and President Tinubu met in Paris and had lunch together on Sunday. The two leaders later had dinner with President Emmanuel Macron the same evening,” he said.

He explained that the confusion arose from post-production enhancement of the image, not from AI generation.

“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI-generated is not correct,” Ajayi said.

“The picture is real and not AI-generated as claimed. It was taken with a phone and understandably 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.”

Ajayi further criticised the reports that fuelled the speculation, saying due diligence was lacking.

“The writer or editor should have asked questions before arriving at this wrong conclusion,” he added.

The Presidency maintained that the meeting and the photograph were genuine, urging the public to disregard claims suggesting otherwise.

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