Senior Turkish government officials have described the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s momentary stumble during his state visit to Türkiye as “silly and mischievous,” the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed.
Dabiri-Erewa made the revelation in response to comments on social media platform X by a user, Oguntoye Opeyemi, who had observed media reactions to the incident.
“Exactly. On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media/blogs,” the NIDCOM boss stated.
She further quoted a Turkish official as describing the attention given to the episode as both “silly and mischievous,” whilst emphasising that the visit had been widely acclaimed across Turkish media.
“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.
Opeyemi had similarly noted that Turkish mainstream media paid no attention to the incident, writing, “Not a single Turkish TV station reported the President’s accidental slip because it’s a non-issue. But Naija TV and national newspapers.”
AFRIPOST reports that President had on Tuesday briefly lost his footing during a ceremonial parade organised in his honour at the parade ground in Ankara.
The momentary slip occurred as Tinubu joined the guard of honour alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Security operatives promptly provided assistance, and the ceremony continued without interruption.
A video clip of the moment, initially published by Turkish digital news outlet Nefes Gazetesi and subsequently shared widely on X, captured the President walking beside his Turkish counterpart before momentarily losing balance.
The Nigerian Presidency has consistently dismissed suggestions that the incident was significant.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Mr Sunday Dare, assured Nigerians that Tinubu remained “hale and hearty” and proceeded with scheduled engagements immediately after the welcome ceremony.
“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 stated via his verified X account.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, characterised the occurrence as inconsequential.
“The President stepped on a metal on the floor, which made him lose his balance. 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,” Onanuga explained.