President Bola Tinubu stumbled and fell on Tuesday during a welcome ceremony in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
The incident occurred as he walked alongside Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
Tinubu appeared to have missed his step but was quickly assisted by officials, helping him regain his balance.
He had arrived at the Turkish presidential palace with a black limousine car.
Immediately after Tinubu alighted from the car, the military band played Nigeria’s national anthem, which was followed by the Turkish national anthem.
After the band’s rendition, there was a moment when the Turkish president used his hands to adjust Tinubu’s body to properly face the band.
Tinubu had departed Abuja for the state visit to Turkey on Monday.
Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, said the president’s visit was meant to strengthen the “existing cordial relations between the two countries and exploring further areas of cooperation in security, education, social development, innovation, and aviation”.
Onanuga noted that finance, communication, trade and investment would dominate political and diplomatic discussions between both countries during Tinubu’s visit.
Presidency reacts…
Meanwhile, the presidency has dispelled concerns over the health of the president, assuring Nigerians that he is hale and hearty and fully engaged in official duties during his state visit to Türkiye.
Clarifying reports surrounding an incident in Ankara, the presidency explained that the incident was caused by a poorly laid blue carpet at the venue, not any health-related issue.
According to the presidency, President Tinubu immediately recovered from the minor incident and proceeded with his scheduled engagements without interruption.
“The President has since resumed official activities and is currently holding bilateral talks with Turkish authorities as part of the state visit. He is also expected to jointly address a press conference with his hosts after the meeting,” the statement read in part.
The presidency emphasised that the President remains in good health and high spirits, urging the public to disregard unfounded speculations about his wellbeing.
