The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that Turkish officials were surprised by the Nigerian media’s extensive coverage of President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his state visit to Türkiye.
Speaking on Wednesday in response to a post on X by user Oguntoye Opeyemi (also known as Equityoyo), who had criticised the disproportionate attention given to the incident, Mrs Dabiri-Erewa said Turkish officials found the controversy puzzling.
“Exactly. On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media/blogs,” she wrote.
According to the NIDCOM boss, one Turkish official dismissed the focus on the incident as “silly and mischievous,” noting that Türkiye’s media coverage has instead highlighted the significant success of President Tinubu’s visit.
“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,” Dabiri-Erewa explained.
Opeyemi had also pointed out that Turkish media outlets paid no attention to the incident. “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 observed.
The incident occurred on Tuesday during a ceremonial parade in President Tinubu’s honour at a parade ground in Ankara. As he moved forward to inspect the guard of honour alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Tinubu momentarily lost his footing before being steadied by nearby security personnel. The ceremony continued without further interruption.
Video footage of the moment was initially shared by Turkish digital outlet Nefes Gazetesi before circulating on social media platform X.
President Tinubu’s maiden official visit to Türkiye aims to strengthen diplomatic relations between both nations and expand cooperation in defence, trade, investment, energy, media, and scientific research.
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