Fatimah Otunsanya
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday briefly stumbled during a ceremonial march-past organised for his reception at the parade ground in Türkiye.
The incident occurred as the President joined the guard of honour, drawing momentary attention before the programme continued without disruption.
A video posted on X by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi shows Tinubu walking alongside his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, before he stumbled to the ground.
He was quickly assisted by the Secret Service.
Tuesday’s reception commenced at about 5:00 pm local time with the simultaneous playing of the national anthems of both nations and a ceremonial 21-gun salute.
Following the completion of the ceremonial formalities, both leaders withdrew into a closed-door bilateral meeting, where discussions on matters of strategic national importance were expected to hold.
It is Tinubu’s first official visit to the European nation, a reciprocal engagement following Erdoğan’s visit to Nigeria in October 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu’s visit aims to consolidate the long-standing cordial relations between Nigeria and Türkiye, while exploring new areas of cooperation to deepen a mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Sunday that both countries will engage in strategic political and diplomatic discussions on shared values in finance, communication, trade, and investment during the visit.
Onanuga said the agenda will include meetings between high-ranking officials of both nations and the signing of memoranda of understanding in scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation, and protocol, among others.
A business forum is expected to be held on the sidelines of the visit to connect Nigerian and Turkish investors and unlock opportunities for mutual economic growth.
Senior Nigerian officials who received the President at his hotel include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; and the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd).