The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said Turkish officials dismissed the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye, describing the debate in Nigeria as “silly.”
Dabiri-Erewa made the remarks on Wednesday while responding to a post on X by Oguntoye Opeyemi, popularly known as Equityoyo, who criticised the attention Nigerian media gave to the incident.
“Exactly. On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media/blogs,” Dabiri-Erewa wrote. She explained that Turkish officials expressed surprise that the moment had sparked public debate in Nigeria, with one official reportedly describing it as “silly and mischievous.”
According to her, Turkish authorities emphasized that President Tinubu’s visit was being positively received across Türkiye and widely covered by local media for its diplomatic significance. “They reiterated how their country was excited about the incredible success of the visit by @officialABAT, which is all over their media here,” she added.
In his original post, Opeyemi also noted that the incident did not feature in Türkiye’s mainstream media. “Not a single Turkish TV station reported the President’s accidental slip because it’s a non-issue. But Naija TV and national newspapers,” he wrote.
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President Tinubu briefly stumbled on Tuesday during a ceremonial march-past organised in his honour at the parade ground in Ankara. The moment occurred as he stepped forward to join the guard of honour, briefly drawing attention before the ceremony continued uninterrupted.
Video footage of the incident, first shared by Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi and later circulated on social media, showed Tinubu walking beside 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 diplomatic relations and expanding cooperation in areas including defence, trade, investment, energy, media and scientific research.