NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 28 — Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu briefly stumbled and fell during a reception ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Tuesday but was not injured and proceeded with his official programme, his aides said.
The incident occurred as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Tinubu following a military parade.
Video footage circulating online shows Tinubu losing his footing while walking beside his host before security personnel and aides moved in to assist him.
The programme continued without further disruption.
Officials attributed the fall to the surface at the venue. Dada Olusegun, the president’s special assistant on social media, said Tinubu “missed his step very briefly” and went on with bilateral meetings as scheduled.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga later said the president stepped on a metal object on the floor, causing him to lose his balance. Other aides cited a poorly laid carpet.
Guided
During the ceremony and subsequent engagements, Erdoğan was seen guiding Tinubu at several moments, including holding his hand and directing him where to stand.
Despite the brief incident, the visit advanced substantive talks between the two leaders on trade, energy, defence and security.
In a statement released after the meetings, Tinubu said Nigeria and Türkiye reaffirmed their ambition to build a pathway toward a $5 billion trade volume, anchored on jobs, investment and opportunity.
“Our conversations were practical and forward-looking,” Tinubu said, listing trade and investment, energy, education, defence cooperation, peace and security, and the establishment of a Joint Economy and Trade Committee to deepen Turkish investment in Nigeria.
Tinubu also welcomed Erdoğan’s recognition of Nigeria’s economic reforms, particularly in the energy sector, and said the two leaders spoke candidly about security cooperation, including military training, intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel.
At the conclusion of the visit, nine agreements were exchanged covering defence, education, media, diaspora policy, trade, social development and institutional cooperation between the two countries’ foreign ministries, Tinubu said.
The Ankara stumble was not the first such incident involving the Nigerian leader. In November 2024, Tinubu also stumbled while climbing a military vehicle during Democracy Day celebrations in Abuja.
Tinubu, 73, took office in 2023.
