Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said Turkish officials dismissed the debate in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to the country as “silly”.
Abike stated this Wednesday while reacting to a post on X by a user, Oguntoye Opeyemi, also known as Equityoyo, who criticised the level of attention Nigerian media gave to the incident.
“Exactly. On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media/blogs,” she wrote.
The NIDCOM boss explained that Turkish officials expressed surprise at the controversy, with one describing the focus on the moment as “silly and mischievous,” while emphasising that Tinubu’s visit was being positively received across Türkiye.
“One of them described it as ‘silly and mischievous,’ and reiterated how their country was excited about the incredible success of the visit by @officialABAT, which is all over their media here,” Alike added.
The Nigeria President Ahmed Tinubu had 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, briefly drawing attention before the event proceeded without interruption.
Footage of the incident, first shared by Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi and later circulated on X, showed Tinubu walking beside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before momentarily losing his balance.
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