Gambiaj.com – (ANKARA, Turkey) – Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is “in great shape” and continued with his official program after briefly stumbling during a reception ceremony in Turkey, one of his aides said on Tuesday.
President Tinubu, 73, was being formally welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at an official ceremony in Ankara when the incident occurred. Footage shared on the Turkish president’s official X account shows Tinubu walking past a line of soldiers and dignitaries before moving to his right, stumbling and falling.
The video briefly captures officials assisting the Nigerian leader before cutting to an aerial shot. About 45 seconds later, Tinubu and Erdoğan are seen standing side by side, suggesting the ceremony proceeded without interruption.
Tinubu appeared unhurt, and his aide, Sunday Dare, said the president went on to attend a scheduled bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart. In a post aimed at calming public concern, Dare wrote in an all-capital-letters headline on X: “PRESIDENT TINUBU IN GREAT SHAPE AS STATE VISIT PROCEEDS SMOOTHLY.”
“After a stately welcome ceremony in Ankara, [he] proceeded to scheduled bilateral meetings with President of Turkey and other senior government officials from both countries,” Dare added, without providing further details.
Clips of the incident quickly circulated on social media, prompting renewed public discussion about the president’s health.
This is not the first time Tinubu has fallen in public view. In June 2024, after a similar incident, he downplayed the moment with humor, joking that some people thought he was performing a popular dance move. An aide at the time described it as a “mild misstep.”
That earlier incident also drew sympathy from across Nigeria’s political divide. Former Vice President and opposition leader Atiku Abubakar, whom Tinubu defeated in the 2023 presidential election, described it as an “unfortunate incident,” while former senator Shehu Sani said it was a reminder that the president was “a human being like anyone else.”
According to a statement from the Nigerian presidency, Tinubu’s visit to Turkey is aimed at strengthening “the existing cordial relations” between the two countries, with discussions expected to focus on bilateral cooperation and broader diplomatic ties.
