Nigerian President Bola Tinubu experienced a stumble during an official welcome ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, while being received by his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The incident occurred as the 73-year-old leader was walking past a line of soldiers and dignitaries, captured on the Turkish president’s official X account footage.
The video shows President Tinubu momentarily losing his balance and falling to the ground before the scene cuts to an aerial view. Within 45 seconds, attendants assisted the Nigerian leader, and he subsequently appeared unharmed alongside President Erdogan. According to presidential aide Sunday Dare, Tinubu proceeded with scheduled bilateral meetings without interruption following the incident.
This marks the second public stumble for President Tinubu within approximately 18 months, following a similar occurrence in June 2024. On that previous occasion, the president humorously addressed the incident by suggesting observers might have mistaken his fall for a popular dance move. His office had then characterized it as a “mild misstep.”
The current visit to Turkey represents a diplomatic effort to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations. In response to circulating social media clips of the stumble, Dare issued a statement on X emphasizing that “President Tinubu [is] in great shape as state visit proceeds smoothly” and confirming the continuation of all planned diplomatic engagements.
Tinubu, who assumed office in 2023 following electoral victory, has previously received sympathy from across the political spectrum for such incidents, with opposition figure Atiku Abubakar previously describing a similar event as “unfortunate” and senator Shehu Sani noting it demonstrated the president’s shared humanity.