Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has withdrawn from the race for the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Tijani announced his decision in a LinkedIn post on Friday, explaining that he made the decision after careful consideration.
He was nominated by President Bola Tinubu on May 5, 2026, to contest the position at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference scheduled to take place in Doha in November.
His withdrawal means Nigeria will no longer pursue what could have been a historic achievement: the election of a Nigerian as an ITU elected official for the first time in the organisation’s 160-year history.
Tijani said the position was attractive both to him and Nigeria, but he believed his greatest contribution at the moment would be to remain focused on Nigeria’s digital transformation efforts.
Among the projects he highlighted are Project BRIDGE, which involves a planned 90,000-kilometre open-access fibre network across the country, and the National Universal Connectivity Access Programme, aimed at improving mobile coverage in underserved communities.
He also mentioned the development of two communications satellites, a national alphanumeric postcode system and the Nigeria Web Design Standards as other projects requiring his attention.
Tijani has also held leadership positions within the ITU during his tenure as minister. He was elected Vice Chair of the ITU Council for 2025, marking Nigeria’s first leadership role on the Council in nearly five decades. He was also appointed to the Digital Innovation Board of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development in 2024.
The minister said he would continue to support President Tinubu’s digital economy agenda and focus on ensuring that ongoing technology and connectivity projects deliver lasting benefits to Nigerians.
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