President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to arrive in Abuja on Saturday night from Istanbul, Turkey, following several days outside the country that sparked public concern due to limited official communication from the Presidency.
SaharaReporters gathered that the President’s aircraft is expected to touch down in the Federal Capital Territory at about 8:30pm, marking the end of his state visit to the Republic of Türkiye.
Earlier in the week, the State House had confirmed that President Tinubu arrived in Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, on Monday night as part of a diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between both countries. According to the official statement, the presidential jet landed at exactly 9:03pm local time.
The Nigerian leader was received at Ankara Esenboğa Airport by a Turkish government delegation led by the Minister of National Education, Yusuf Tekin. He was also welcomed by Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Türkiye, Ambassador Zayyad Abdulsalam, alongside other officials of the Nigerian Embassy.
A separate statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that top Nigerian government officials—including the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake; and Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd)—received President Tinubu upon his arrival at his hotel.
The Presidency explained that the visit was designed to deepen diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Türkiye, while also exploring new areas of cooperation for mutual economic and strategic benefit. The visit was expected to feature high-level discussions between President Tinubu and his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
However, the trip drew widespread attention on January 27 after President Tinubu stumbled and briefly fell during a reception parade organised in his honour in Turkey. A video shared by SaharaReporters showed the President losing his footing while walking alongside President Erdoğan and greeting officials. He was quickly assisted back to his feet by aides.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Presidency moved to allay concerns about the President’s health. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, stated via his official X (formerly Twitter) account that President Tinubu was in good health and continued with his scheduled engagements.
“President Tinubu in great shape as state visit proceeds smoothly,” Dare wrote, adding that the President went on to hold bilateral meetings with Turkish leaders after the welcome ceremony.
Despite these assurances, President Tinubu’s health has remained a subject of public debate in recent times, making his return to Nigeria closely watched by citizens and political observers alike.
