By Ebube Bruno
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – On Tuesday, January 27, President Bola Tinubu was being welcomed by his Turkish counterpart at an official ceremony in Ankara when he stumbled. After walking past a line of soldiers and dignitaries, Tinubu can be seen in the official video on the Turkish president’s X account moving to his right, when he stumbles and falls. The film briefly shows people helping the president before cutting to an aerial shot and 45 seconds later Tinubu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are seen next to each other. Within hours, the clip went viral. Nigerians shared it, memed it, and debated it.
This isn’t the first time a Nigerian president’s physical moment has overshadowed substantive work.
Sometime in 2018, I watched on television as then President Muhammadu Buhari addressed Nigerians. The address elicited conversations, as you would expect of a presidential speech. While some discussed what Buhari said, others discussed his posture, sparking comparisons to then United States President Barack Obama who stood for his addresses.
Critics implied sitting was a sign of weakness or backwardness, ignoring that cultural norms differ, and what matters is the message, not the posture. The pattern repeats: Nigerians debate optics while substance gets buried. I disagreed with that fixation then, as I disagree now with the disproportionate focus on President Tinubu’s fall.
Legitimate Question
Let’s be clear: concerns about presidential fitness are valid in any democracy. Nigerians have every right to expect their president to physically meet the demands of office. But fitness isn’t measured by a single stumble. It’s measured by capacity to execute the role. And by that standard, President Tinubu’s Turkey schedule tells a different story. Multiple bilateral meetings. A state dinner. Hours of negotiations on trade, security, and cultural cooperation. He recovered from the fall immediately and continued his engagements without incident.
The fall was unfortunate. It wasn’t disqualifying.
The Protocol Failure
Where legitimate criticism belongs is with protocol. Traditional ceremonial attire serves important diplomatic purposes. It shows cultural respect and goodwill toward host nations. But functionality cannot be sacrificed for symbolism. The Turkish robe was clearly ill-fitted for the president’s mobility. This should have been identified. Presidential protocol teams globally conduct wardrobe trials days before major events—testing mobility, comfort, and camera angles. Nigeria’s diplomatic corps must adopt this standard practice to prevent future mishaps that distract from diplomatic wins.
An understanding host nation would surely accommodate a request for better-fitting attire. A prepared guest should be empowered to make that request.
What We’re Missing
Here’s what got buried beneath the viral clip: Nigeria and Turkey discussed partnerships that could reshape our economic landscape. What trade agreements were finalized? How can Nigerian businesses access Turkish markets? What technology transfer arrangements were made? Were there academic exchange programs established? What defense cooperation was discussed given regional security challenges? How does this visit position Nigeria in the shifting global order as new powers emerge? These are the questions Nigerian journalists should be pursuing.
These are the outcomes Nigerian citizens should be demanding transparency on. The Measure of Leadership Tinubu is not the first world leader to stumble, nor will he be the last. President Biden has fallen multiple times. President Ford famously tripped on Air Force One. President George W. Bush choked on a pretzel. None of these moments defined their presidencies. What defined them was what they achieved, or failed to achieve, for their nations.
The measure of a leader isn’t how gracefully they walk in ceremonial robes. It’s whether they secure their nation’s interests on the global stage. Let’s not allow a 30-second clip to obscure what could be years of beneficial Nigeria-Turkey cooperation.
President Tinubu fell in Turkey. He also got up, completed his mission, and returned to continue governing Africa’s most populous nation. Now it’s our job as citizens to demand accountability for what that mission achieved.
