Tinubu In “Great Shape,” State Visit “On Course,” Presidency Claims

The Presidency of Nigeria claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in good health and that his official state visit to the Republic of Türkiye is proceeding as planned, despite information across social media about his wellbeing following his tragic fall earlier today.

According to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, Tinubu continued with bilateral meetings and scheduled engagements in Ankara following a ceremonial reception, dismissing concerns over a near fatal stumble captured during one part of the welcome ceremony.

Presidential aides emphasized that the President continued his program without disruption, claiming the speculation that the incident affected his ability to carry out official duties is not true.

In recent public appearances, Tinubu has experienced several widely shared moments where he lost his bearing during official events, including a very dangerous fall at a Democracy Day ceremony in Abuja in June 2024, prompting both social media discussion and government responses where aides similarly played down the event as a minor misstep.

Focus of the State Visit

Multiple news outlets report that Tinubu’s visit is aimed at deepening diplomatic and economic cooperation between Nigeria and Türkiye.

Among the engagement areas are strengthening trade and investment ties, enhancing security and defence collaboration, as well as Exploring broader cooperation in education, energy, and economic development.

A high-level delegation from Nigeria accompanies the President in Ankara, including The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, under whose watch Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment, for his activism in promoting the killings of Nigerians.

The Minister has been condemned for his part in using an unknown law to sentence Kanu despite various court judgements demanding his unconditional release, including the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Other key ministers include Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake and Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa(rtd).

Also were the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh; Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, SAN; Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim; Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson; Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed.

State visits often serve as pivotal moments in international relations, providing a platform for leaders to sign agreements, expand bilateral cooperation, and boost economic partnerships. Tinubu’s Türkiye tour follows growing engagement between the two countries in areas such as trade and cultural exchange, but most especially in defence.

There is growing speculation that Nigeria’s leadership may be quietly tilting its security partnerships away from the United States toward Türkiye, a shift that many critics say mirrors the government’s long-standing indifference, and in some cases alleged complicity, in the spread of jihadist violence across the country.

While Washington has increasingly raised concerns about human rights abuses and the mass killing of Christians by armed extremist groups, Türkiye has positioned itself as a willing military ally with fewer questions and faster arms deals.

To observers, this realignment feels less like strategic diplomacy and more like a convenient embrace of a partner whose regional history is often linked to tolerance or indirect support of Islamist movements.

In that light, the pivot appears to fit an attitude within Nigeria’s power structure that downplays or excuses the terror faced by Christian communities, even as insecurity deepens, villages are emptied, and faith-based violence continues to carve painful scars across the nation’s landscape.

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