Presidency Debunks AI Claims Over Tinubu–Kagame Photo, Says Image Was Enhanced, Not Generated

Abuja, Nigeria– The Presidency has dismissed claims circulating in sections of the media and on social platforms that a widely shared photograph of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame was generated using artificial intelligence, describing the narrative as a distortion of facts.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, the Presidency said the photograph was genuine and captured during an official engagement in Paris, France.

According to Ajayi, the controversy arose because the original image was taken with a mobile phone and was of poor quality, prompting the photographer to later enhance it using digital tools.

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

“The media report and social media comments that followed are misrepresentation of facts.”

The Presidency clarified that President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together. Later the same evening, both leaders also attended a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Ajayi explained that the image in question was captured casually on a phone, which affected its clarity, and that the photographer subsequently used Grok, an AI-powered tool, solely to improve the picture’s quality.

“The picture is real and not AI generated as claimed,” the statement stressed. “The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That is not a reason to conclude it was AI generated.”

The Presidency criticised the media outlets and commentators that drew conclusions without verification, noting that basic journalistic diligence would have prevented the spread of what it described as a false narrative.

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