President Tinubu Stumbles During an Official Ceremony in Turkey

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been described as being “in great shape” after briefly stumbling during a state reception ceremony in Ankara, Turkey.

The incident occurred as the 73-year-old president was being officially welcomed by his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a formal event attended by soldiers and dignitaries.

Incident Captured on Official Video

Footage shared on President Erdoğan’s official X (formerly Twitter) account shows President Tinubu walking past a guard of honour before appearing to lose his balance while moving to his right.

The video briefly captures individuals stepping in to assist the Nigerian leader before cutting to an aerial shot. Moments later, Tinubu is seen standing alongside President Erdoğan, suggesting he was not seriously affected.

Presidency Dismisses Health Concerns

Following widespread circulation of the video on social media, presidential aide Sunday Dare assured the public that Tinubu was unharmed and continued with his official duties.

“President Tinubu in great shape as state visit proceeds smoothly,” Dare wrote in an all-caps post on X.

“After a stately welcome ceremony in Ankara, he proceeded to scheduled bilateral meetings.”

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga later clarified that the president stepped on a metal object on the floor, which caused the stumble.

“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,” Onanuga said.

Similar Incident in 2024

This is not the first time President Tinubu has stumbled in public. In June 2024, he briefly lost his footing at an event but later joked that people thought he was performing a popular dance move.

At the time, opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar expressed sympathy, describing the episode as an “unfortunate incident.” Former senator Shehu Sani also remarked that the moment showed the president’s humanity.

State Visit Continues as Planned

Despite the brief incident, Tinubu’s state visit continued as scheduled. According to Nigeria’s presidency, the trip aims to strengthen diplomatic, economic and defence relations between Nigeria and Turkey.

Following bilateral talks, both countries announced new agreements in trade, defence cooperation, military training, and intelligence sharing.

President Erdoğan stated that Nigeria and Turkey had reaffirmed a target of increasing bilateral trade to $5 billion.

Tinubu Reaffirms Nigeria’s Openness

After the meetings, Tinubu took to X to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to international partnerships.

“Nigeria remains open for serious partnership. Open to trade without barriers. Open to ideas, skills, and investment that create value and shared prosperity,” he wrote.

President Tinubu assumed office in 2023 after defeating Atiku Abubakar in Nigeria’s presidential election.

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