Bosun Tijani steps down from ITU Deputy Secretary-General race

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has withdrawn from the race for the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.

Tijani disclosed this in a LinkedIn post on Friday, saying he had decided against pursuing the role after “careful consideration.”

He was nominated by President Bola Tinubu on May 5, 2026, according to the ITU’s official document record, and would have contested the position at the Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Doha in November.

The withdrawal means Nigeria will not pursue what would have been a historic first: a Nigerian serving as an elected ITU official in the organisation’s 160-year history.

Explaining his decision, Tijani said the opportunity was attractive both personally and for the country, but that his most valuable contribution for now lay in staying focused on ongoing digital transformation work at home.

“After careful consideration, I have decided not to pursue the opportunity to contest for the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.

“The opportunity was undoubtedly attractive, both personally and for Nigeria, as it would have presented the historic prospect of a Nigerian serving as one of the ITU’s elected officials for the first time in its 160 year history.

“However, I believe the most consequential contribution I can make at this time is to remain focused on the critical work before us at home,” he said.

The minister listed several ongoing projects he said needed his attention, including Project BRIDGE, a planned 90,000-kilometre open-access fibre rollout across the country, and the National Universal Connectivity Access Programme, which aims to extend mobile coverage to underserved communities through new telecoms towers.

He also cited two new communications satellites, a national alphanumeric postcode system, and the Nigeria Web Design Standards among the priorities keeping him focused domestically.

Tinubu had described Tijani, in his nomination letter to ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, as “a distinguished technology leader, policymaker, and global advocate for digital transformation.”

Tijani has held leadership roles at the ITU during his three years as minister.

He was elected Vice Chair of the ITU Council for 2025, Nigeria’s first leadership role on the Council in nearly 50 years, and was appointed in 2024 to the Digital Innovation Board of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development.

“My focus will therefore remain on supporting President Tinubu’s transformative digital economy agenda and ensuring that these critical programmes deliver enduring value for the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Tijani concluded.