Turkish officials dismissed the attention given in Nigerian media to President Tinubu’s brief stumble during his Ankara visit as “silly and mischievous.”
Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said Turkish officials were surprised by the debate in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit. Dabiri-Erewa made the remarks on Wednesday while responding to a post on X by user Oguntoye Opeyemi, also known as Equityoyo, who criticised the Nigerian media’s focus on 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 added that one Turkish official described the attention as “silly and mischievous,” noting that the focus on the moment contrasted with the positive reception of Tinubu’s visit across Türkiye.
Opeyemi also highlighted that the incident 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 wrote. The stumble occurred on Tuesday during a ceremonial march-past organised in Tinubu’s honour at a parade ground in Ankara.