Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has withdrawn from the race for Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The minister announced his decision in a LinkedIn post on Friday, saying he arrived at it after “careful consideration.”
President Bola Tinubu had nominated Tijani for the position on May 5, 2026, and he was billed to contest at the ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference holding in Doha in November.
His withdrawal means Nigeria will not achieve what would have been a historic first — a Nigerian elected as an ITU official in the union’s 160-year history.
Tijani said the role would have been attractive both for him personally and for the country, given the historic significance involved, but explained that his priority for now is to remain focused on ongoing digital transformation efforts at home.
He listed a number of active projects demanding his attention, including Project BRIDGE — a planned 90,000-kilometre open-access fibre rollout across Nigeria — and the National Universal Connectivity Access Programme, which is designed to extend mobile coverage to underserved communities through new telecom towers.
Other priorities he cited include the deployment of two new communications satellites, the rollout of a national alphanumeric postcode system, and the Nigeria Web Design Standards initiative.
In his nomination letter to ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Tinubu had described Tijani as a distinguished technology leader, policymaker, and global advocate for digital transformation.
During his three years as minister, Tijani has held notable leadership positions at the ITU. 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.
Tijani said his focus going forward remains on supporting President Tinubu’s digital economy agenda and ensuring ongoing programmes deliver lasting value for Nigerians
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