By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu on Tuesday missed his step and fell to the ground during a ceremonial march-past organised in his reception at a parade ground by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The incident drew Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, momentary attention before the programme continued without disruption.
A video posted on X by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi shows Tinubu walking alongside Erdoğan, before he stumbled to the ground and was immediately assisted by security aides.
The reception ceremony 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 was 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.
A business forum is expected to hold on the sidelines of the visit to connect Nigerian and Turkish investors and unlock opportunities for mutual economic growth.
