Bosun Tijani steps down from ITU Deputy Secretary-General race

Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Bosun Tijani, has withdrawn from the race to become the Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The decision to step down was made after "careful consideration," according to Tijani, who shared the news on LinkedIn. Tijani had been nominated by President Bola Tinubu on May 5, 2026, to contest the position at the Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Doha in November.

If successful, Tijani would have made Nigeria the first African nation to have an elected ITU official in its 160-year history. Tijani explained his decision, stating that while the opportunity was attractive personally and for Nigeria, his most significant contribution at the moment lies in focusing on ongoing digital transformation projects in the country.

He highlighted several initiatives, including Project BRIDGE, the National Universal Connectivity Access Programme, two new communications satellites, and the Nigeria Web Design Standards. Tinubu had praised Tijani as a "distinguished technology leader, policymaker, and global advocate for digital transformation" in his nomination letter to ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.