‘It’s Real, Not AI’ — Presidency Dismisses Claims Over Tinubu-Kagame Paris Photo; Explains ‘Grok’ Enhancement

The Nigerian Presidency has officially fired back at social media rumors claiming that a recent photograph of President Bola Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame was faked using artificial intelligence.

In a “stop-press” statement issued on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, labeled the viral allegations a “misrepresentation of facts.” He confirmed that the meeting indeed took place in Paris on Sunday, where the two leaders held high-level diplomatic discussions over lunch.

The controversy erupted after hawk-eyed users on X (formerly Twitter) spotted a watermark from Grok, an AI tool developed by Elon Musk’s xAI. A Community Note was even appended to the President’s official post, suggesting the image appeared AI-generated.

However, the Presidency clarified that the AI tool was used only to rescue a poorly lit mobile phone shot, not to fabricate a meeting that never happened.

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

He further explained the technical hiccup: “The picture was taken with a phone and obviously 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.”

According to the Presidency, the photo was just one snippet of a full day of engagement between the two African leaders in the French capital.

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

President Tinubu had earlier shared the image on his verified handle, noting that the talk focused on “the current state of world affairs and advancing Africa in an ever-changing global landscape.” Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also circulated the image to confirm the meeting.

The incident has sparked a wider conversation about the use of AI-enhancement tools in official government communications. Critics argue that even “enhancing” photos can blur the lines of authenticity, especially when international diplomatic records are at stake.

Ajayi, however, pushed back against the media’s handling of the story, suggesting that a simple inquiry would have cleared the air.

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

President Tinubu remains in Europe for an end-of-year break that began on December 28. He is expected to travel next to Abu Dhabi for the 2026 Sustainability Week Summit before returning to Nigeria.