By Obinna Uballa
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday briefly stumbled during a ceremonial march-past held in his honour at a parade ground in Turkey, prompting concerned security operatives to quickly intervene.
The moment occurred as Tinubu joined the guard of honour alongside his host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, briefly drawing attention before the event proceeded without interruption.
A video shared on X by Turkish digital news platform Nefes Gazetesi shows Tinubu walking beside Erdoğan moments before he stumbled. He was immediately assisted by members of the Secret Service.
The reception, which began at about 5:00 pm local time, featured the simultaneous rendition of the national anthems of Nigeria and Türkiye, followed by a ceremonial 21-gun salute.
After the formalities, both leaders proceeded to a closed-door bilateral meeting where discussions on issues of strategic national importance were expected to take place.
The visit marks Tinubu’s first official trip to the European nation and is a reciprocal engagement following President Erdoğan’s visit to Nigeria in October 2021 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The trip is aimed at strengthening the long-standing diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Türkiye, while exploring new areas of cooperation to deepen a mutually beneficial partnership.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the visit would feature high-level political and diplomatic engagements centred on shared interests in finance, communication, trade and investment.
According to Onanuga, the agenda includes meetings between senior officials of both countries and the signing of memoranda of understanding covering scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military collaboration and protocol.
A business forum is also expected to hold on the sidelines of the visit to link Nigerian and Turkish investors and unlock opportunities for mutual economic growth.
