Category Nigeria News

President Bola Tinubu has begun his state visit to the United Kingdom, marking the first such trip by a leader of Africa’s most populous nation in nearly four decades.

Tinubu, accompanied by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, was received by King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a ceremonial welcome in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle.

Later in the evening, King Charles III hosted a banquet in honour of the Nigerian leader. The event, held at the historic Windsor Castle, saw the monarch and Queen Camilla host Tinubu and his wife, alongside Nigerian officials, bankers, business leaders, sports stars, and cultural figures with Nigerian heritage.

The engagements formed part of the first day of the President’s two-day state visit to the United Kingdom.

See photos below:

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has relieved all political appointees in his administration of their duties, directing them to hand over to Permanent Secretaries or the most senior civil servants in their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The directive comes a day after the governor’s second-term inauguration.

According to a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Nwabufo Nwankwo, the affected appointees are to complete the handover on or before the close of work on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, to relevant officials who will oversee affairs pending the formation of a new cabinet.

The circular also notified all first-term cabinet members to meet with the governor on Monday, March 23, 2026, by 10 a.m. at the ANSEC Chambers of the Light House, Awka.

READ ALSO: Soludo Sworn In For Second Term

Soludo was sworn in for a second term in office as the governor of the Southeastern state on Tuesday.

He took the oath during his inauguration, which was held at the newly renovated Alex Ekwueme Square in Akwa, the state capital.

Soludo was sworn in alongside his deputy, Onyeka Ibezim.

In his address, the governor promised to do more for the people, citing progress made in the areas of security as some of the achievements of his government in the last four years.

“The debilitating one-sit-at-home is over, and our schools, markets, businesses, and public servants are back to work. Ndi Anambra says that ours is now the safest, or at least one of the safest states in Nigeria,” Soludo, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said.

The event was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, ex-presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

A former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and other dignitaries were also in attendance.

King Charles III has praised the contributions of Nigerians living in the United Kingdom.

The monarch, who spoke at a royal banquet organised in honour of President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, highlighted the impact of Nigerians across British society, describing them as central to the country’s growth and innovation.

“We in the United Kingdom are blessed that so many people of Nigerian heritage, having chosen Britain as their home, are now at the heart of British life,” he said.

The king noted that Nigerians were excelling “at the highest level of business, technology, academia, law, science, sports, literature, and the arts.”

Reflecting on his interactions with the Nigerian community, the King said he had encountered many “quiet heroes” contributing significantly in schools, businesses, the National Health Service, and universities.

“I have met so many of these quiet heroes in our schools, businesses, National Health Service, and universities, including countless young people who have flourished through the work of my King’s Trust over the last 50 years,” he said.

King Charles also shared a light-hearted moment from a recent reception at St. James’s Palace, where he hosted Nigerians in the diaspora.

“Only last week, I was delighted to host a rather lively group of them to a jollof and tea party at St. James’s Palace. I was firmly assured that the jollof was only the best — Nigerian, of course,” he added.

Military Honours

Tinubu commenced his two-day state visit marked by full ceremonial honours on Wednesday.

He was received with traditional state pageantry, featuring a guard of honour and a ceremonial gun salute—symbolising the strong diplomatic ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

The President’s state visit includes high-level engagements with British officials and interactions with members of the Nigerian diaspora.

The visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, boosting trade and investment, and reinforcing cooperation in key sectors such as security and education.

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima has restated the Federal Government’s resolve to defeat terrorism, declaring that those behind recent attacks in the country will be decisively confronted.

He noted that beyond the presidential directive to security chiefs, the Federal Government was investing more in equipment and other logistics to boost the fight against terrorism across the country.

Senator Shettima spoke on Wednesday in Maiduguri when he visited victims of the bomb blast who are receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

READ ALSO: [Borno Bombings] Service Chiefs Relocate To Maiduguri On Tinubu’s Orders

This was disclosed in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.

Condemning the gory multiple explosions in Maiduguri on Monday in which more than 100 people were affected by the incident, with over 20 confirmed dead, he described the perpetrators as barbaric, stressing that no cause justifies the killing of innocent people.

The Vice President said his visit was to sympathise with the injured and families affected by the tragedy, assuring government’s support through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the North East Development Commission, and the Borno State Government.

The Vice President was accompanied by Borno State Deputy Governor Usman Kadafur; NEMA Director-General, Zubaida Umar; Chief Medical Director of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Professor Ahmed Ahijo, and other top government officials.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for going ahead with his planned state visit to the United Kingdom despite the terrorist attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Okonkwo accused President Tinubu of dancing on the graves of Nigerians and soldiers killed in terror attacks by making the trip to London.

According to the lawyer, by cancelling the trip, Tinubu would have passed a message to the world that he respected the victims of the terror attack.

“It’s about telling the world that you prefer to respect the blood of your martyrs to riding on their blood and dancing on their graves in the United Kingdom.

“That red carpet there is the blood of the martyrs that Tinubu is treading upon. He should have cancelled it (UK Visit), cancelled it without equivocation,” Okonkwo said.



While Tinubu made the trip to the UK on Tuesday alongside the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, Vice President Kashim Shettima was in Anambra State to attend the second-term swearing-in ceremony of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, a situation Okonkwo said was embarrassing.

READ ALSO: King Charles III Receives Tinubu, First Lady, With Full Military Honours

“Why go with your minister of defence? Why would the vice president be celebrating in Anambra State? I can’t believe it, I feel embarrassed. You don’t understand that the death of one military man is a hit to a nation because their morale is boosted when you at least recognise.

“As they are going to fight, it can be any of them, so they derive their morale from how you treat the one that has fallen,” he said.

The ADC chieftain also accused the Tinubu-led administration of being corrupt, saying that it politicises everything, including security.

He maintained that Tinubu was not capable of solving the security problems bedevilling the country.

“I was in your station the early days of Tinubu, and I told you that state police will not come, that Tinubu will continue to play the politics of it, and I tell you that Tinubu is incapable of solving the security problems and that is why it is metastasising all over the nation.

“So he is incapable, why? You don’t have enough boots on the ground, you have a lot of ungoverned spaces, hunger and hardship is increasing, suffering of people is increasing, they are easy to be recruited, criminality is not being punished,” Okonkwo added.

The coordinated blasts by suspected suicide bombers on Monday tore through a busy market and other areas, killing about 23 people and leaving over 100 injured.

Tinubu’s UK Visit

President Tinubu, who arrived in the UK on Tuesday, was on Wednesday given a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle as the Nigerian leader began his state visit to the United Kingdom.

The president and his wife, Remi Tinubu, were given a 42-gun salute by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

Before that, Prince William and Princess Catherine met and greeted the Nigerian leader and his wife at the Fairmont Hotel before the short ride to Windsor Castle, where King Charles III hosted them.

There was also an exchange of gifts and a display of items related to Nigeria that are kept in the Royal Collection.

Afterwards, there was a banquet where Tinubu and King Charles gave speeches.

Leaders and celebrities attended the event.

The President and his wife are expected to lay a wreath of flowers on the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II in St George’s Chapel.

They will also meet with organisations engaged in interfaith dialogue.

Service Chiefs Relocate To Borno

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s service chiefs are in Borno State following the bombings in Maiduguri, which left at least 23 people dead and over a hundred people injured.

This follows President Tinubu’s directive to them to relocate to the state to deal with the situation.

About a day after the order, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Waidi Shaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno capital.

The service chiefs, who landed at the Air Force Base in Maiduguri, were received by the Theatre Commander and moved straight to the headquarters of the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai.

The Chief of Defence Staff later inspected the quarter guard mounted in his honour.

They are expected to meet frontline troops, government officials, and other stakeholders to discuss solutions to the resurgence of attacks in the region by Boko Haram insurgents.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Wednesday announced a series of special train services across major routes nationwide to ease travel pressure during the upcoming Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.

READ ALSO: Eid-El-Fitri: Sultan Declares Friday As First Day Of Shawwal

In a statement signed by its Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu, the agency said the temporary arrangements were aimed at providing “seamless, safe, and efficient” transportation amid the expected surge in passenger traffic.

According to the NRC, additional trips would be deployed on key corridors, including Lagos–Ibadan and Abuja–Kaduna, to accommodate increased demand.

“For the Lagos–Ibadan corridor, three special trips will operate on March 19, 2026, from both ends of the route to cater for heightened passenger movement during the festive period,” the statement noted.

Departures from Mobolaji Johnson Station in Ebute Metta, Lagos, are scheduled for 7:40 a.m., 1:40 p.m., and 4:00 p.m., while trains from Obafemi Awolowo Station in Moniya, Ibadan, will leave at 8:00 a.m., 10:50 a.m., and 4:30 p.m.

On the Abuja–Kaduna route, the NRC said it would run two trips on March 19, followed by three daily trips from March 20 to March 23, offering passengers more flexibility.

It also highlighted a partnership with the Osun State Government to operate the “Imole Special Train,” which will convey indigenes from Iddo Station in Lagos to Osogbo free of charge.

“This service is fully sponsored by the Osun State Government, with the NRC providing rolling stock, technical support, and operational services,” the statement revealed, describing the initiative as part of efforts to support citizens during the festive season.

Meanwhile, the NRC further stated that the Warri–Itakpe corridor would maintain its thrice-weekly schedule, with departures structured to ensure operational efficiency and allow for routine maintenance.

The Port Harcourt–Aba service on the Eastern narrow gauge line will continue its regular operations throughout the Sallah period.

Reassuring passengers, the NRC said it remained committed to delivering safe and reliable services across all its corridors.

“We urge passengers to plan their journeys in advance, arrive early at stations, and comply with all ticketing and security procedures to ensure a smooth travel experience,” the Corporation added.