President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday met with the British Crown Prince Williams on his two-day visit to the United Kingdom.
The Nigerian leader and his wife, Oluremi, had arrived at London’s Stansted Airport on Tuesday.
His visit to the European country is the first state visit in nearly four decades.
The former Lagos State Governor was given a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle.
The Nigerian first couple was greeted by senior royals, including Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Tinubu and the King are expected to give speeches on Wednesday evening at the state banquet, which will be attended by political leaders and celebrities with links to Nigeria.
However, there will be no traditional lunch with the King at Windsor as the president is a Muslim and fasting for Ramadan.
Tinubu has visited Britain several times in his tenure, and the two countries remain major partners in trade, aid, and defense. London is also home to a massive Nigerian diaspora.
Britain and Nigeria have a strong diplomatic relationship, and London and Abuja concluded a strategic partnership in November 2024 to strengthen economic, immigration, and security cooperation.
Likely on the agenda are issues ranging from major Nigerian port renovations backed by Britain as well as trade, which reached 8.1 billion pounds ($11 billion) in the year to September 2025, an 11.4 percent year-on-year increase.
The visit comes after suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 people in northeastern Nigeria on Monday evening.
The country has been roiled by a jihadist insurgency since 2009, which US President Donald Trump has claimed amounts to a “genocide” of Christians — sparking a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Abuja, which denies the allegations.
Tinubu responded by ordering security chiefs to move to the northeastern African city of Maiduguri, where the attacks happened, to “take charge of the situation”.
On Thursday, Tinubu is expected to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as members of the Nigerian community abroad, according to the official schedule.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, a Christian pastor, is set to preach at London’s Lambeth Palace — the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury — on Thursday and meet representatives of the Church of England.
Missing from the official schedule is the traditional meeting between the visiting head of state and the British opposition.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who is of Nigerian descent, has repeatedly publicly criticised the country she was raised in over corruption and violence.
The last Nigerian state visit to the UK took place in 1989, although Tinubu was received by Charles in September 2024.
Leave a Reply