Turkish officials were shocked Tinubu stumble made headlines in Nigeria – Abike Dabiri

Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said Turkish officials dismissed the debate in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to the country as “silly”.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa stated this Wednesday while reacting to a post on X by a user, Oguntoye Opeyemi, also known as Equityoyo, who criticised the level of 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.

The NIDCOM boss explained that Turkish officials expressed surprise at the controversy, with one describing the focus on the moment as “silly and mischievous,” while emphasising that Tinubu’s visit was being positively received across Türkiye.

“One of them described it as ‘silly and mischievous,’ and reiterated how their country was excited about the incredible success of the visit by @officialABAT, which is all over their media here,” Dabiri-Erewa added.

In his post, 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 had 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, briefly drawing attention before the event proceeded without interruption.

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.

He was swiftly supported by security personnel.

Tinubu’s visit, his first official trip to Türkiye, is focused on deepening diplomatic ties and boosting collaboration in areas such as defence, trade, investment, energy, media and scientific research.