Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said Turkish officials were taken aback by the attention Nigerian media gave to President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye, describing the controversy as unnecessary.
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Dabiri-Erewa made the remark on Wednesday, January 28, while responding to a post by X user, Oguntoye Opeyemi, popularly known as Equityoyo, who questioned why the incident dominated discussions in Nigeria.
“On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media and blogs,” Dabiri-Erewa wrote.
She explained that Turkish officials dismissed the debate, with one of them characterising the focus on the moment as “silly and mischievous,” while stressing that Tinubu’s visit was widely regarded as a success in Türkiye.
“One of them described it as ‘silly and mischievous,’ and reiterated how excited their country is about the incredible success of the visit by @officialABAT, which is all over their media here,” she added.
Opeyemi, in his post, also noted that the incident did not feature in Türkiye’s mainstream media, pointing out that no Turkish television station reported the president’s accidental slip.
The incident had sparked widespread reactions in Nigeria, with some commentators linking it to discussions about the president’s age. While President Tinubu is officially listed as 73 years old, comparisons were drawn with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who remains active in public life at 87.
President Tinubu briefly stumbled on Tuesday during a ceremonial march-past held in his honour at the parade ground in Ankara. The moment occurred as he stepped forward to join the guard of honour but did not disrupt the event.
Video footage, first shared by Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi and later circulated on X, showed Tinubu walking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before momentarily losing his balance. He was quickly supported by security personnel.
Tinubu’s visit, his first official trip to Türkiye, is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in areas including defence, trade, investment, energy, media and scientific research.
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