Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa has said Turkish officials dismissed the debate in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa stated this on Wednesday while reacting to a post on X by Oguntoye Opeyemi, also known as Equityoyo, who criticised the attention Nigerian media gave to the incident.
“Exactly. On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media/blogs,” she wrote.
According to her, Turkish officials expressed surprise at the controversy, with one describing the focus on the moment as “silly and mischievous,” while noting that Tinubu’s visit was receiving positive attention across Türkiye.
“One of them described it as ‘silly and mischievous,’ and reiterated how their country was excited about the success of the visit by @officialABAT, which is all over their media here,” Dabiri-Erewa added.
Opeyemi also observed that the incident did not feature in Türkiye’s mainstream media.
“Not a single Turkish TV station reported the President’s accidental slip because it’s a non-issue. But Naija TV and national newspapers,” he wrote.
President Tinubu briefly stumbled on Tuesday during a ceremonial march-past organised in his honour at the parade ground in Ankara.
The moment occurred as he stepped forward to join the guard of honour.
He was supported by security personnel and the ceremony continued.
Footage of the incident, first shared by Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi and later circulated on X, showed Tinubu walking beside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before momentarily losing his balance.
Reacting to the incident, the special adviser to the President on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the President stepped on a metal object on the floor.
“The President stepped on a metal on the floor, which made him lose his balance. This is not a big deal, except for those who want to make mischief out of the fleeting incident,” he said.
“It was a mere stumble, thank God, not a fall.”
Tinubu is on his first official visit to Türkiye, with engagements focused on diplomatic relations and cooperation in defence, trade, investment, energy, media and scientific research.
