Photo: President Tinubu and President Tayyip Erdoğan
By Mandy Park
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday briefly stumbled during a ceremonial march-past organised in his honour at the parade ground in Türkiye, an incident the Presidency has described as minor and not a cause for concern.
The moment occurred as the President joined the guard of honour alongside his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A video shared by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi shows President Tinubu momentarily losing his balance before being quickly assisted by security personnel, after which the ceremony continued without disruption.
The reception, which commenced at about 5:00 pm local time, featured the simultaneous rendition of the national anthems of Nigeria and Türkiye, followed by a 21-gun salute. After the formalities, both leaders proceeded to a closed-door bilateral meeting to discuss issues of strategic national importance.
The visit marks President Tinubu’s first official trip to Türkiye and is a reciprocal engagement following President Erdoğan’s visit to Nigeria in October 2021 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The trip is aimed at strengthening longstanding diplomatic ties and exploring new areas of cooperation between both countries.
President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, had earlier said the visit would feature high-level political and diplomatic engagements focused on shared interests in finance, communication, trade and investment.
He added that memoranda of understanding would be signed in areas including scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation and protocol.
A Nigeria–Türkiye business forum is also expected to hold on the sidelines of the visit to connect investors from both countries and unlock opportunities for mutual economic growth.
Senior Nigerian officials who received the President at his hotel include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; and the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd).
Reacting to the incident, the Presidency said President Tinubu is “hale and hearty” and proceeding with his state visit as scheduled.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr Sunday Dare, disclosed this in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday.
“President Tinubu, after a stately welcome ceremony in Ankara, proceeded to scheduled bilateral meetings with the President of Türkiye and other senior government officials,” Dare said.
Mr Onanuga also addressed concerns about the President’s health, explaining that the stumble was caused by stepping on an object on the floor.
“The President stepped on a metal on the floor, which made him lose his balance,” he said.
“This is not a big deal, except for those who want to make mischief out of a fleeting incident. It was a mere stumble, thank God, not a fall.”
He stressed that President Tinubu remains fit and fully engaged with the activities of his visit.
