The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said Turkish officials dismissed the controversy in Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu’s brief stumble during his official visit to Türkiye, describing it as “silly.”
Dabiri-Erewa made this known on Wednesday while reacting to a post on X by Oguntoye Opeyemi, popularly known as Equityoyo, who criticised Nigerian media for giving excessive attention to the incident.
“Exactly. On ground here in Ankara, their officials were shocked to learn that it was an issue in Nigerian media/blogs,” Dabiri-Erewa wrote.
According to her, Turkish officials expressed surprise that the moment generated widespread debate in Nigeria, with one official describing the focus as “silly and mischievous.”
She added that the officials emphasised that President Tinubu’s visit was being warmly received in Türkiye, noting that the success of the trip dominated Turkish media coverage.
“One of them described it as ‘silly and mischievous,’ and reiterated how their country was excited about the incredible success of the visit by @officialABAT, which is all over their media here,” Dabiri-Erewa stated.
