By Emma Ogbuehi
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday stumbled and fell during a ceremonial march-past organised for his reception at the parade ground in Türkiye.
The incident occurred as the President joined the guard of honour, drawing momentary attention before the programme continued without disruption.
A video posted on X by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi shows Tinubu walking alongside his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, before he stumbled and fell to the ground.
He was quickly assisted by the Secret Service.
Tuesday’s reception commenced at about 5:00 pm local time with the simultaneous playing of the national anthems of both nations and a ceremonial 21-gun salute.
Following the completion of the ceremonial formalities, both leaders withdrew into a closed-door bilateral meeting, where discussions on matters of strategic national importance were expected to hold.
It is Tinubu’s first official visit to the European nation, a reciprocal engagement following Erdoğan’s visit to Nigeria in October 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu’s visit aims to consolidate the long-standing cordial relations between Nigeria and Türkiye, while exploring new areas of cooperation to deepen a mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Sunday that both countries will engage in strategic political and diplomatic discussions on shared values in finance, communication, trade, and investment during the visit.
Onanuga said the agenda will include meetings between high-ranking officials of both nations and the signing of memoranda of understanding in scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation, and protocol, among others.
A business forum is expected to be held on the sidelines of the visit to connect Nigerian and Turkish investors and unlock opportunities for mutual economic growth.
Senior Nigerian officials who received the President at his hotel include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; and the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd).
Meanwhile, the Presidency has said that Tinubu is hale and hearty and proceeding with his scheduled state visit to Turkiye according to plan.
The update was disclosed on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr Sunday Dare, on his verified X handle.
Dare said the President proceeded from the ceremonial reception to scheduled bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior officials.
“President Tinubu, after a stately welcome ceremony in Ankara, proceeded to scheduled bilateral meetings with the President of Türkiye and other senior government officials,” the Presidency said.
The Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, also addressed enquiries on Tuesday regarding the President’s wellbeing in Ankara.
Onanuga clarified that the President merely stepped on an object, resulting in a minor loss of balance.
“The President stepped on a metal on the floor, which made him lose his balance,” Onanuga said.
“This is not a big deal, except for those who want to make mischief out of a fleeting incident.”
“It was a mere stumble, thank God, not a fall,” he added.
The Presidency urged the public to disregard attempts to sensationalise the minor incident, stressing that Tinubu remains fit and fully engaged.
