₦airaland Forum

Social media was sent into a frenzy on Wednesday after President Bola Tinubu, slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day celebration.
The President, however, quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings without further issues.

In this article, 10 other world leaders aside from Tinubu, who had a momentary fall during a public ceremony have been highlighted.

1. President Joe Biden: In March 2021, United States President, Joe Biden tripped on Air Force One stairs while scaling the steps to Air Force One to Atlanta to meet with Asian-American community leaders on a massacre.

2. Robert Mugabe: In February 2015, Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old President Robert Mugabe fell down a staircase as he walked off a podium after addressing supporters at Harare International Airport.

3. President Gerald Ford: Former President of the United States, Gerald Ford, slipped on Air Force One in 1975 while visiting Vienna in Austria for talks with Egyptian President Anwar Sada.

4. Cuba leader, Fidel Castro: Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, in October 2004, fell off the stage in Santa Clara, Cuba. Castro broke his knee and arm in the fall.

5. Barack Obama: In March 2015, former US President, Barack Obama came close to falling down the steps of Air Force One. Obama was returning to Washington DC from a golfing trip in Florida when he bounded from the plane door only to lose his footing. He recovered and continued across the tarmac with the same spring in his step.

6. Mike Pence: In June 2020, Vice President Mike Pence had a moment remarkably similar to President Biden’s upward slip. Pence was filmed running, then tripping, up the staircase of Air Force Two.

7. Tommy Tuberville: In October 2023, Senator Tommy Tuberville, who has previously criticised President Joe Biden for falling in public view, was mocked online after a video showing him falling down a flight of plane stairs himself went viral.

8. Hillary Clinton: The then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in 2011, was boarding a plane to Yemen when she slipped to her knees at the doorway and was only saved from further embarrassment when an aide gave her a helping hand.

9. Vladimir Putin: The Russian leader who loves to display his aura, saw himself on the floor during a 2019 hockey game he played in. He was doing a victory lap around Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome and applauding fans when he slammed on the floor.

10. Boris Johnson: The former United Kingdom prime minister, was a victim of an epic fall after he tripped and landed on the floor during a charity tug-of-war game at a World War I commemoration event with Britain’s armed forces in 2015.

Tinubu, Biden, other world leaders who have slipped on occasions


President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day celebration.

The President had approached the vehicle shortly after he arrived at the Eagle Square, Abuja venue of the programme.

It was observed that the President lost his footing momentarily as he was about to step into the vehicle and slipped while he was quickly attended to by his security personnel.

In this report, PUNCH Online highlights other world leaders aside from Tinubu, who had had clumsy moments and were caught on camera while boarding vehicles or disembarking official aircraft.


1. June 1975 – US President Ford slid down the Air Force One stairs

The then United States President Gerald Ford slid Air Force One in 1975 while visiting Vienna in Austria for talks with Egyptian President Anwar Sada.

2. October 2004- Cuba leader, Fidel Castro falls from stage

Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in 2004, fell off of the stage in Santa Clara, Cuba. Castro broke his knee and arm in the fall, sources say. The fall brought back memories of when he collapsed two years before the 2004 fall.

3. February 2015 – Zimbabwe President, Robert Mugabe, slid the Airport staircase

Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old President Robert Mugabe fell down a staircase as he walked off a podium after addressing supporters at Harare International Airport, an AFP correspondent said.

He had just returned from Ethiopia, where he took over the rotating chairmanship of the African Union.

4. March 2015 – Barack Obama recovers after near fall down steps of Air Force One

US President Barack Obama came close to falling down the steps of Air Force One. Obama was returning to Washington DC from a golfing trip in Florida when he bounded from the door of the plane only to lose his footing. He recovered and continued across the tarmac with the same spring in his step.

5. June 2020 – V.P. Mike Pence Falls Up The Steps Of Air Force Two

Vice President Mike Pence had a moment remarkably similar to President Biden’s upward slip. Pence was filmed running, then tripping, up the staircase of Air Force Two.

6. March 2021 – President Joe Biden trips three times on Air Force One stairs

President Joe Biden trips three times on Air Force One stairs while scaling the steps to Air Force One to Atlanta to meet with Asian-American community leaders on a massacre.

7. October 2023 – Senator Tommy Tuberville

Senator Tommy Tuberville, who has previously criticised President Joe Biden for falling in public view, was mocked online after a video showing him falling down a flight of plane stairs himself went viral.

Alabama Republican, who at the time was coaching the University of Cincinnati football team, appeared to lose his footing after three steps and slid the rest of the way down.

8. Yemen 2011 – Hillary Clinton

The then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was boarding a plane to Yemen when she slipped to her knees at the doorway and was only saved from further embarrassment when an aide gave her a helping hand.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/tinubu-biden-other-world-leaders-who-have-slipped-on-occasions/%3famp

Birds of same feather

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has rolled over its ongoing strike for another 12 weeks.

A statement signed by ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said this was to give the government enough time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.

It also stated that the roll-over strike was effective from 12.01 am, May 9, 2022.

ASUU said it took this decision after its National Executive Council meeting which started on Sunday night at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja.

The statement read, “After extensive deliberations, noting Government’s failure to live up to its responsibilities and speedily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) within the additional eight-week roll–over strike period declared on 14th March 2022, NEC resolved that the strike be rolled over for twelve weeks to give Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.

“The roll-over strike action is with effect from 12.01 a.m. on Monday, 9th May 2022.”

The press release titled, ‘Update on ASUU roll-over strike,’ read, “The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held an emergency meeting on Sunday, 8th May 2022 at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja.

“The meeting was called to review developments since the Union declared an eight-week total and comprehensive roll-over strike action at the end of its emergency NEC meeting at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja on 14th March, 2022. The strike action came on the heels of the Government’s failure to satisfactorily implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the Union in December 2020 on renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), funding for revitalization of public universities (both Federal and States), proliferation and governance issues in State Universities, promotion arrears, withheld salaries (owed for over 20 months in some cases), and Non-emittance of third-party deductions.”

It added that NEC noted with serious disappointment that the three-man Committee set up by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 1st February 2022 to resolve the lingering issues between ASUU and FGN had not called a single meeting to date.

“NEC was equally disappointed that ASUU’s only meeting with the Professor Nimi Briggs-led Renegotiation Committee did not reflect the expected level of understanding, preparation and clarity that undergird collective bargaining going by the Committee’s confession of “going about consulting stakeholders”. Unless urgent steps are taken to redirect the Committee on concluding a draft Agreement that has been pending since May 2021, its activities may end up as another wild goose chase,” it read.

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