The Nigerian Presidency has directly addressed and refuted viral reports questioning the authenticity of a photograph featuring President Bola Tinubu and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame. The image, which depicted the two leaders having lunch in Paris on Sunday, had been widely circulated with claims that it was artificially generated.

In an official statement released on Monday morning by Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the Presidency categorically denied that the photo was AI-generated. Ajayi's statement was a direct response to various media reports and social media comments suggesting the image, released by the Presidency, was AI-generated due to the presence of a 'Grok watermark'.

Ajayi firmly stated that the narrative suggesting the photo was AI-generated was “not correct.” He further emphasized, “The media report and social media comments that followed are misrepresentation of facts. The picture is real and not AI generated as claimed.”

Providing further context, the Senior Special Assistant confirmed that both President Kagame and President Tinubu genuinely met in Paris and shared lunch on Sunday. The two heads of state subsequently attended dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron later that same evening. Ajayi clarified that the photograph in question was initially taken with a phone, which resulted in poor image quality. He explained that a photographer subsequently utilized 'Grok' merely to enhance and improve the picture quality, rather than to create or generate the image itself. Ajayi concluded his statement by criticizing the media, suggesting that writers or editors should have sought clarification before arriving at what he deemed a