The risk of a misinformed foreign policy

By NI’MAH ARIGBABU

When the Nigerian government announced successful 2025 that Japan had created a “special visa category” for young, highly skilled Nigerians, the communicative caught a batch of attraction domestically and internationally. For a little moment, it looked similar a diplomatic triumph and impervious that Nigeria could unfastened caller doors for its brightest endowment abroad. But the solemnisation didn’t last. Japanese authorities swiftly denied the claim, clarifying that the inaugural successful question was thing much than a symbolic taste speech programme. The backlash successful Japan was truthful crisp that the full strategy was withdrawn.

Misinformation is already a large situation successful galore nationalist spaces. Politicians person cited fake quality arsenic reasons for electoral outcomes; leaders person complained astir disinformation campaigns by overseas actors successful causing unrest elsewhere; and the emergence of AI continues to pb to questionable and concerning misinformation incidents. Diplomacy is not isolated and risks being clouded by misinformation, half-truths and premature announcements, each susceptible of chipping distant astatine spot and weakening already fraught alliances. 

Misinformation successful diplomacy tin instrumentality galore forms. Sometimes, it appears arsenic incorrect authoritative statements, specified arsenic announcements oregon positions that are aboriginal proven false; for example, hasty misstatements astir visa bans oregon commercialized restrictions. At different times, it emerges done miscommunication to the nationalist erstwhile governments supply misleading updates connected the presumption of treaties, commercialized deals, oregon agreements. It tin besides instrumentality the signifier of diplomatic misrepresentation, wherever 1 authorities conveys inaccurate accounts of different state’s actions, commitments, oregon policies. And successful its astir deliberate form, it becomes propaganda, the strategical usage of misinformation to sway planetary opinion, warrant abuses, oregon discredit rival nations.

The dangers are real: misinformation tin strain bilateral oregon multilateral relations, harm a country’s credibility globally, undermine spot successful negotiations, and trigger damaging nationalist repercussions.

In caller years, misinformation has dented Nigeria’s already fragile diplomatic and antiauthoritarian standing, leaving citizens and allies confused. The harm has been compounded by an already frayed diplomatic posture: the state has operated without ambassadors successful cardinal big countries, pursued inconsistent overseas policies contempt 2 successive governments from the aforesaid ruling party, and often struggled to contiguous a coherent dependable abroad. In specified a climate, adjacent tiny missteps are magnified, and each misleading connection deepens the cognition of a authorities incapable to negociate its ain communicative connected the planetary stage.

Japan’s “Special Visa” Confusion

In September 2025, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, launched a symbolic civic and taste speech programme called Africa Hometown, pairing 4 Japanese cities with 4 African nations to beforehand grooming and taste understanding.

The Nigerian government, however, hurriedly announced that Japan would make a “special visa class for highly skilled and talented young Nigerians” to unrecorded and enactment successful Kisarazu. The assertion sparked outrage successful Japan, with critics, including Elon Musk, accusing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of plotting to “weaken Japan.” JICA’s president was forced to clarify that reactions were based connected “misunderstandings and confusion” earlier withdrawing the inaugural entirely.

Immigration is simply a peculiarly delicate issue. People are speedy to defy perceived threats to their borders, jobs, oregon mode of life. Any hint of misinformation risks inflaming fear, distrust, and adjacent xenophobia. Premature statements connected visas oregon cross-border agreements, therefore, dispersed quickly: from diplomatic protests overseas to unrest domestically. Once misinformation takes hold, undoing the harm becomes acold harder.

The Ogun–Qatar Dairy Hub Claim

In June 2025, the Ogun State Government proudly announced that Qatar’s Baladna, a large agribusiness company, was acceptable to found a multi-million-dollar dairy and nutrient hub successful the state. The woody was presented arsenic sealed, implicit with congratulations and glowing coverage.

Days later, Baladna denied immoderate agreement, stressing the sojourn was purely exploratory. Ogun officials scrambled to backpedal, but the harm was done. What had b...