The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the Federal Government for misleading Nigerians about supposed visa opportunities in Japan.
The controversy began after the government announced that Japan would introduce a “special visa category” for Nigerians, particularly targeting highly skilled youths and artisans. However, the Japanese government quickly dismissed the claim, clarifying that no such immigration privilege exists.
ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, criticised the announcement in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, accusing the APC-led administration of chasing positive publicity at the expense of truth.
“At TICAD9, the APC Federal Government claimed that Japanese authorities had agreed to issue ‘special visa categories’ to Nigerians. This denial by Japan shows that the Tinubu/APC government is so desperate for positive headlines that it would not mind spreading fake news,” Abdullahi wrote.
He added that the development was a national embarrassment, warning that it risked eroding public trust in government communications. “The truth is, with this government, we don’t know what to believe anymore. This embarrassment just has to stop,” he stressed.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later clarified that its “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative, launched at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), was aimed at fostering cultural and developmental exchanges between selected African countries and four Japanese cities. The programme, it said, does not include immigration benefits or the issuance of special visas.
Despite this, the Federal Government had earlier released a statement through the State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, claiming that Kisarazu city had been designated as a “hometown” for Nigerians, offering special visas under the programme. The contradiction has now placed the government under heavy criticism for spreading inaccurate information.
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