Turkish Officials Brush Aside Tinubu Stumble as Media Distraction — Hon. Dabiri-Erewa

Turkish authorities have dismissed the public debate in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye, describing the reaction as unnecessary and overblown. This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Speaking from Ankara, Dabiri-Erewa said Turkish officials were surprised that the moment generated intense discussion in Nigerian media, noting that it attracted little to no attention locally. According to her, the visit itself dominated coverage in Türkiye, not the brief incident.

She explained that officials she interacted with viewed the focus on the stumble as mischievous, stressing that the reception of the Nigerian president and the outcomes of the visit were what mattered to their government and media.

The incident occurred during a ceremonial guard of honour in Ankara when President Tinubu momentarily lost his balance while marching alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was quickly steadied, and the programme continued without interruption.

Despite videos of the moment circulating widely on social media in Nigeria, Turkish mainstream outlets reportedly ignored it, treating it as inconsequential. Nigerian officials have also consistently played down the episode.

Presidential aides maintained that Tinubu was in good health and proceeded with his full schedule, including high-level bilateral talks with Turkish leadership shortly after the ceremony.

The visit, Tinubu’s first official trip to Türkiye, is focused on strengthening diplomatic ties and expanding cooperation in areas such as defence, trade, investment, energy, and science. Nigerian authorities have urged the public to concentrate on the substance of the engagement rather than isolated moments taken out of context.