Turkish officials dismiss media focus on Tinubu’s stumble as ‘silly’ — Dabiri-Erewa
Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said Turkish officials dismissed the controversy in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye, describing it as “silly and mischievous.”
Dabiri-Erewa made this known on Wednesday while reacting to a post on X by Oguntoye Opeyemi, also known as Equityoyo, who criticised Nigerian media for amplifying the incident. She said officials in Ankara were surprised that the moment generated debate in Nigeria.
“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 her, Turkish officials stressed that the President’s visit was being positively received in their country, adding that the focus remained on the outcomes of the trip rather than the brief incident.
“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 added.
In his post, Opeyemi also noted that the incident was not reported by 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.
President Tinubu briefly 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 but the programme continued without disruption, with security personnel quickly offering support.
Tinubu’s visit, his first official trip to Türkiye, is aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations and expanding cooperation in areas including defence, trade, investment, energy, media and scientific research.
