When late General Sani Abacha died, it felt as if Nigerians believed all their collective sins had been forgiven overnight. People poured into the streets, celebrating as though the nation was about to transform instantly into Mecca, flowing with milk and honey. That is Nigeria for you — a country where a sitting president can be declared dead on rumours and swiftly replaced in public imagination by another “president” from a different country altogether. A country where it was once rumoured that a serving president was getting married, complete with wedding invitations flying around on social media, while the supposed groom himself had no clue he was about to wed.
Nigeria, sadly, has long been polarised along religious and tribal lines, and this division colours almost every national conversation. Recently, when a video of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu missing his step surfaced online, many Nigerians chose mockery over maturity. Instead of wishing their leader quick recovery and focusing on what his visit to Türkiye meant for Nigeria, the nation erupted in noise. That visit was not a tea party; it was about strengthening Nigeria–Türkiye bilateral trade, which previously hovered around $500 million before President Tinubu and President Erdoğan agreed on a new $5 billion trade target.
That is no small achievement for a country battling economic headwinds. It is, in fact, a major trade advantage and deserves applause, not ridicule. President Tinubu deserves commendation from every right-thinking Nigerian who understands the global economic struggle and the fierce competition among nations.
The world today is a dangerous place. It has grown even more unstable with the rise of anarchic forces determined to pull societies apart. This is no longer a playground for the weak. Anyone can trip and fall, but when a leader does so before a global audience, it attracts exaggerated interpretations and dangerous narratives.
President Donald Trump missed his steps and fell on several occasions. Americans did not troop to social media to make a jest of him. They focused on substance and the reality on ground. Unfortunately, the image some Nigerians are pushing is that the president’s fall signifies weakness — physically and metaphorically. That perception is damaging, not just to the man, but to the nation.
President Tinubu is not a young man, and at this stage, leadership requires mental sharpness more than physical display. That means he should only travel and engage in demanding activities when he is at his absolute best, both mentally and physically. I have said it before and I will say it again: the president needs experienced hands around him.
The Türkiye visit, coming less than seven days after a long-haul flight of over ten hours back to Nigeria, was ill-timed. He may not have fully recovered from jet lag before embarking on another strenuous trip. Add to that the nocturnal meetings and late-night visitors at the Villa, and one wonders whether he even had enough rest.
President Tinubu needs advisers who understand optics. Men and women who know that, next to attitude, image is everything in leadership. History has taught us this lesson. One of the reasons many Americans concluded that President Joe Biden was too old to run again was his repeated falls. Those images convinced people that he lacked the mental acuity and physical rigour to govern. President Tinubu’s fall in Türkiye, coming shortly after the Independence Day incident, sends troubling signals to both citizens and the international community.
Those managing the president must do better. How was the walking path not properly checked? Why was the Turkish president allowed to hold his hand in a manner that suggested he could not stand on his own? That single image speaks louder than a thousand speeches and sends the wrong message.
The president needs older, more experienced people around him. I remember vividly how the late Chief of Staff to President Obasanjo, retired General Abdullahi, managed the president’s schedule with military discipline. I was once in the Villa waiting room with some state governors late at night when he walked in and dismissed all of us, insisting that President Obasanjo needed to sleep. That is leadership support.
How does President Tinubu return to Nigeria within a week and then board another aircraft for a foreign engagement? Did his Chief of Staff and medical team not advise rest, considering his age? These are serious questions.
I have nothing personal against anyone, but I firmly believe that those currently surrounding President Tinubu at the Villa are not the best for him. He needs wiser, more seasoned hands to protect both his health and his image.
May Allah restore his health fully and grant him the wisdom to lead Nigeria to the promised land.
Amen.
Mogaji Wole Arisekola, Publisher of The Street Journal Newspaper, writes from Ibadan.
