As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu missed his step briefly and fell in Ankara, capital of Turkey, on Tuesday, The Presidency dismissed concerns over his health, assuring Nigerians that he remains hale, hearty, and without any underlying health issues.
In a statement addressing the incident, The Presidency explained that President Tinubu stumbled momentarily due to a poorly laid blue carpet, stressing that the incident was minor and did not affect his wellbeing.
According to the statement, the President quickly recovered from the mishap and has since resumed his official duties without any complications.
“President Tinubu has since resumed his official engagements and is currently holding a bilateral meeting with Turkish authorities. A joint press conference will follow,” The Presidency said.
The clarification comes amid public concerns after reports of the brief fall circulated online. The Presidency urged Nigerians to disregard speculations, reaffirming that the president remains fit and fully committed to his official responsibilities.
The Nigerian leader was walking alongside his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Erdogan, when the incident happened.
Earlier, Tinubu had inspected a parade as part of the massive reception he received.
A review of the video of the incident showed that a camera man who moved close to the president triggered the fall.
This is not the first time that Tinubu would be in the news over such incident.
During a ceremony to mark the June 12 Democracy Day in 2024, the president fell as he mounted the parade vehicle to take him round the Eagle Square.
The President missed his step and tripped as he entered the open roof vehicle, but his security aides quickly came to his aid.
He later spoke about it at a dinner to commemorate Democracy Day.
The President referred to the fall as “Swagger”, saying social media was confused about it.
“Early this morning, I had a swagger and it’s on the social media. They are confused whether I was doing buga or doing babbaringa, but it is a day to celebrate Democracy while doing dobale for the day. I am a traditional Yoruba boy, I did my dobale,” he had said.