Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri Erewa, says Turkish officials were surprised that President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble in Ankara became a major news topic in Nigeria.
She reacted on X to a post by user Oguntoye Opeyemi, known as Equityoyo, who criticised the level of attention Nigerian media gave to the incident. Dabiri Erewa wrote that officials on the ground in Ankara were shocked to hear it was an issue back home.
According to her, one Turkish official described the focus on the moment as “silly and mischievous” and stressed that their country was instead excited about what they saw as the successful outcome of Tinubu’s visit. She noted that Turkish media largely highlighted the positive aspects of the trip.
Opeyemi also pointed out that no mainstream Turkish television station reported the President’s accidental slip, calling it a non issue, while Nigerian TV and newspapers amplified it.
Tinubu had briefly stumbled on Tuesday during a ceremonial march past held in his honour at a parade ground in Ankara. The incident occurred as he stepped forward to join the guard of honour but the event continued without disruption.
Footage, first shared by Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi and later circulated on X, showed Tinubu walking beside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before momentarily losing balance and being quickly supported by security personnel.
Dabiri Erewa emphasised that, in Türkiye, the focus was on strengthening ties between both countries, not on the minor incident. Tinubu’s visit, his first official trip to Türkiye, is aimed at deepening cooperation in defence, trade, investment, energy, media and scientific research.
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