Tinubu regains footing after brief slip at Ankara state reception

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu briefly missed a step and stumbled on Tuesday in Ankara, Turkey, during an official state reception.

The incident occurred as the Nigerian leader walked alongside his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while joining the guard of honour. It momentarily drew attention but did not disrupt the programme, which continued as scheduled.

A video shared on X by Turkish digital news outlet Nefes Gazetesi showed President Tinubu being promptly assisted by members of his security detail.

The reception, which began at about 5:00 p.m. local time, featured the simultaneous rendition of the national anthems of Nigeria and Türkiye, followed by a ceremonial 21-gun salute.

After the formalities, both leaders proceeded to a closed-door bilateral meeting to discuss issues of strategic national importance.

The visit marks President Tinubu’s first official trip to Türkiye and is a reciprocal engagement following President Erdoğan’s visit to Nigeria in October 2021 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The visit is aimed at strengthening the long-standing cordial relations between Nigeria and Türkiye, while exploring new areas of cooperation to deepen a mutually beneficial partnership.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the visit would feature strategic political and diplomatic engagements covering finance, communication, trade and investment.

He added that the agenda includes meetings between senior officials of both countries and the signing of memoranda of understanding in areas such as scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military collaboration and protocol.