Turkish officials have described the attention given by Nigerian media to President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye as “silly and mischievous,” the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said.
Speaking on Wednesday, Dabiri-Erewa reacted to a post by social media user Oguntoye Opeyemi, known as Equityoyo, who criticised Nigerian media for overemphasising the incident. She confirmed that Turkish officials were surprised the moment had become a national talking point.
“Exactly. On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media/blogs,” she wrote. She added that Turkish authorities described the coverage as “silly and mischievous” and emphasised that President Tinubu’s visit was being widely praised across Türkiye.
Opeyemi had noted that the stumble received no coverage 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 observed.
The incident occurred on Tuesday during a ceremonial march-past in Ankara, as President Tinubu stepped forward to join a guard of honour. Footage from Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi showed Tinubu walking beside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before momentarily losing his balance and being promptly supported by security personnel.
Despite the brief mishap, Tinubu’s visit—his first official trip to Türkiye—has been focused on strengthening diplomatic relations and enhancing cooperation in defence, trade, investment, energy, media, and scientific research.
