Bosun Tijani pulls out of ITU race despite Tinubu’s nomination

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has withdrawn from consideration for the position of Deputy Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), according to Nairametrics.

Tijani disclosed the decision in a LinkedIn post on Friday, four months after President Bola Tinubu nominated him for the role. He said the position was attractive but that his most consequential contribution now was to remain focused on domestic digital transformation projects, including Project BRIDGE’s 90,000km fibre rollout, the NUCAP connectivity programme, two new communications satellites and a national postcode system.

The withdrawal means Nigeria will not pursue what would have been a historic first for a Nigerian at the 160-year-old ITU.