The Presidency has responded to claims that a photograph of President Bola Tinubu with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, taken during their lunch in Paris, was artificially generated. In a statement released on January 5, 2026, Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, refuted these allegations, labeling them as a “misrepresentation of facts.”
Ajayi confirmed that the two leaders met and shared meals on January 4, 2026, during their engagements in Paris. He emphasized, “The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI-generated is not correct.”
The controversy arose due to the poor quality of the original photograph, which was later enhanced using the Grok tool, an AI-based application. Ajayi explained that the image’s initial quality was low, and only after the enhancement process did some social media users question its authenticity. “That is not a reason to conclude it was AI-generated,” he added, criticizing journalists for failing to verify information before publication.
The image, which featured a watermark from Grok, circulated widely on social media after being posted on the President’s official X handle. The post described their discussions as centered on international developments and the future of Africa. Ajayi’s statement followed social media commentary suggesting the image was not genuine, with a community note pointing out its AI-generated appearance due to the GrokAI badge.
