Nigerian President in Good Health Despite Falling in Turkey; Spokesperson says

A spokesperson of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has disclosed that the President is "in great shape" despite his stumble and subsequent fall on Tuesday, January 27th, at a reception ceremony in Turkey.

President Tinubu was seen on the official video on the Turkish president's X account moving to his right when he stumbled and fell.

The footage briefly security rushing to help the Nigerian President. It took off a few minutes, before Tinubu was seen back linking up with his Turkish Counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Capital Ankara.

Bayo Onanuga, a spokesman for the president, confirmed that Tinubu had stepped on a metal object "on the floor, which caused him lose his balance.

Boya told international media that the President is proceeding normally, and the occurrence should not be considered as a big deal.

"This is not a big deal, except for those who want to make mischief out of a fleeting incident. It was a mere stumble, thank God, not a fall," he stated.

The last time the president fell over in public, in June 2024, he cracked a joke about it, saying many thought he was doing a popular dance move.

This time, the incident was described as a "mild misstep" by an aide, and there was also a lot of sympathy for Tinubu, including from leading opposition politician Atiku Abubakar, who called it an "unfortunate incident".

Some say it may be due to the age factor. Tinubu is 73 years old in his capacity as President of Nigeria.

Officials said Tinubu's visit to Turkey was aimed at strengthening the existing cordial relations with Turkey.