The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said Turkish authorities were surprised that President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye became a major topic in Nigerian media.
Dabiri-Erewa made this known on Wednesday while responding to a post on X by social media user Oguntoye Opeyemi, who questioned why the incident attracted widespread attention in Nigeria but went largely unnoticed in Türkiye.
Reacting, Dabiri-Erewa wrote: “Exactly. On the ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media and blogs.”
She further disclosed that one Turkish official described the attention given to the incident as “silly and mischievous,” stressing that President Tinubu’s visit was instead being warmly received and celebrated across the country.
In his post, Opeyemi also pointed out that Turkish media outlets did not consider the incident newsworthy.
“Not a single Turkish TV station covered the President’s accidental slip because it’s a non-issue. But Naija TV and national newspapers,” he wrote.
President Tinubu reportedly had a brief stumble during a welcome ceremony in Ankara, the Turkish capital. However, he immediately continued with his scheduled engagements, including high-level bilateral discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Addressing the incident earlier, Olusegun, in a post on his official X handle, acknowledged that the President “missed his step very briefly,” noting that Tinubu later proceeded to the Presidential Palace in Ankara for meetings with Erdoğan.
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The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also played down the incident, explaining that it was caused by an object on the floor.
“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 the fleeting incident,” Onanuga said.
He added: “It was a mere stumble, thank God, not a fall.”