Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is “in great shape” after a brief fall at a Turkey reception, presidential aides have confirmed, dismissing concerns about his health.
President Tinubu, 73, briefly stumbled on Tuesday during a state welcome ceremony in Ankara while being received by his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Footage from the official ceremony, shared on the Turkish presidency’s X (formerly Twitter) account, shows Tinubu walking past a guard of honour before momentarily losing his balance and falling. The video briefly cuts away as aides moved in to assist him, before later showing Tinubu standing beside President Erdoğan moments later.
Despite the incident, aides said Tinubu was in great shape after the brief fall at the Turkey reception and proceeded with his scheduled official engagements.
The President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, confirmed that Tinubu was unharmed and continued with bilateral talks at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
“Mr President missed his step very briefly and has continued his bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A live press conference followed immediately after the bilateral,” Olusegun said.
Also reacting, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that the President only lost his balance momentarily after stepping on an object on the floor.
According to him, the incident posed no health risk, stressing again that Tinubu remains in great shape after the brief fall at the Turkey reception.
The incident has since gone viral on social media, sparking mixed reactions among Nigerians. However, this is not the first time the President has experienced a public stumble.
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In June 2024, Tinubu fell during an event in Nigeria but later downplayed the incident, joking that people thought he was attempting a popular dance move. That incident was also described by aides as a “mild misstep.”
At the time, opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, expressed sympathy, describing it as an “unfortunate incident,” while former senator Shehu Sani said the episode showed the President was “human like everyone else.”
Meanwhile, the Presidency said Tinubu’s visit to Turkey is aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and Turkey.
In an apparent move to allay public concern, the President’s aide reiterated in an all-capital post on X that Tinubu was in great shape as his state visit to Turkey continued smoothly.
President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 after defeating Atiku Abubakar in the presidential election.