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Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that Turkish officials were surprised by the level of attention Nigerian media gave to President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye, describing the reaction as unnecessary and overblown.
Dabiri-Erewa made this known on Wednesday, January 28, while responding to a post on X by Oguntoye Opeyemi, popularly known as Equityoyo, who questioned why the incident became a major topic of discussion in Nigeria.
According to her, officials in Ankara expressed shock upon learning that the moment had sparked widespread debate across Nigerian media platforms.
“On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media and blogs,” she wrote.
She further explained that Turkish officials dismissed the controversy entirely, with one of them reportedly describing the focus on the incident as “silly and mischievous.” Dabiri-Erewa added that Tinubu’s visit was widely celebrated in Türkiye and regarded as a major success.
“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 said.
Equityoyo also noted that the incident did not receive coverage in Türkiye’s mainstream media, pointing out that no Turkish television station reported the president’s accidental slip.
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 of the incident, initially 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 assisted by security personnel.
The visit, President Tinubu’s first official trip to Türkiye, is focused on strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation between both countries in key sectors such as defence, trade, investment, energy, media, and scientific research.
