Fatimah Otunsanya
The Presidency has dismissed claims that a photograph showing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris was generated using artificial intelligence, describing the narrative as false and misleading.
The clarification was made on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, following widespread media reports and social media commentary questioning the authenticity of the image.
According to the Presidency, the picture, which was shared by Presidential spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, on his Facebook page, is genuine and was taken during an official engagement between the two leaders in Paris on Sunday.
The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI generated is not correct,” Ajayi said in a statement. “The media report and social media comments that followed are misrepresentations of facts.”
Ajayi explained that Presidents Tinubu and Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together before later joining French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same evening.
He clarified that the photograph in question was taken with a mobile phone, which affected its initial quality. According to him, the image was later enhanced using digital tools to improve clarity, but this did not make it an AI-generated image.
“The picture is real and not AI generated as claimed. The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That is not a reason to conclude it was AI generated,” he stated.
Ajayi criticised the reports that described the image as fake, noting that journalists and editors should have sought clarification before drawing such conclusions.
“The writer or editor should have asked questions before this wrong conclusion,” he added.
The Presidency urged the media and members of the public to exercise caution and verify information before circulating claims that could mislead the public.