Presidency Waves Off Tinubu’s Slip, Says He’s Human

President Bola Tinubu had a minor stumble yesterday during Nigeria’s Democracy Day festivities. He briefly tripped as he climbed into a military truck to review the parade.

However, his aides quickly dismissed concerns over the 71-year-old leader’s misstep.

Footage from the event showed Tinubu missing a step and losing his footing momentarily while boarding the vehicle.

He quickly regained his balance with the aid of personnel and proceeded with the ceremonial review of troops.

Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to contextualise the incident. “President Tinubu is not a Superman. He is human like all of us,” Onanuga wrote, drawing parallels to similar stumbles by former United States (US) Presidents Biden and Barack Obama.

Olusegun Dada, Tinubu’s social media assistant, echoed those sentiments. “Mr President missed his step while climbing into the truck…and tripped. It was a mild misstep. He immediately went on with the ceremonial rounds. No issues,” Dada stated on X.

I Did My ‘Dobale’, Tinubu Laughs Off Stumble

Meanwhile, Tinubu addressed his minor stumble during Nigeria’s Democracy Day festivities, embracing the occasion’s cultural significance. At the June 12 Democracy Day dinner at the Presidential Villa, Tinubu said, “Earlier this morning, I had a swagger, and it’s on social media.” Tinubu quipped about online video clips that captured his brief loss of footing while boarding a military truck to review the parade.

He playfully suggested that onlookers might have mistaken his misstep for the popular “buga” dance move or a traditional Yoruba display.

“They were confused whether I was doing buga or babanriga,” Tinubu said.

However, the president swiftly pivoted the narrative, emphasising Democracy Day’s celebratory nature and his deep-rooted cultural pride.

“But it’s a day to celebrate democracy while doing ‘dobale’ for the day, I am a traditional Yoruba boy, I did my dobale,” he said.