Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has dismissed the controversy in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye, revealing that Turkish officials considered the debate unnecessary and trivial.
Dabiri-Erewa made the remarks on Wednesday while responding to a post on X by Oguntoye Opeyemi, popularly known as Equityoyo, who criticised Nigerian media outlets for devoting excessive attention to the minor incident.
According to her, officials in Ankara were surprised to learn that the moment had become a major topic of discussion in Nigeria. She said the issue was barely noticed in Türkiye and was not regarded as newsworthy.
“On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media and blogs,” Dabiri-Erewa wrote, adding that one official described the focus on the incident as “silly and mischievous.”
She stressed that Turkish authorities were far more interested in the outcome of President Tinubu’s visit, which she said was being widely covered in positive terms by local media in Türkiye.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that the visit by the Nigerian leader was being celebrated for its diplomatic and economic significance, with Turkish media highlighting the strengthening of bilateral relations rather than the brief moment of imbalance.
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In his earlier post, Opeyemi pointed out that the incident did not feature in Türkiye’s mainstream media, describing it as a non-issue outside Nigeria. He observed that no Turkish television station reported the stumble, even as Nigerian television channels and newspapers amplified the footage.
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, but the ceremony continued smoothly without disruption.
Video clips of the incident, first published by Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi and later circulated on social media, showed the President momentarily losing his balance while walking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before being quickly steadied by security personnel.
The episode, however, did little to overshadow the purpose of Tinubu’s trip, his first official visit to Türkiye as President. The visit is aimed at deepening diplomatic ties and expanding cooperation between Nigeria and Türkiye in key areas including defence, trade, investment, energy, media, and scientific research.
As discussions and engagements continue in Ankara, Nigerian officials have urged the public to focus on the strategic outcomes of the visit rather than what they describe as a fleeting and exaggerated moment.
