- Tinubu to Meet King Charles III, Queen Camilla in Historic UK State Visit
- Bayo Onanuga described the visit as a landmark moment in Nigeria–UK relations
- President Tinubu has met King Charles III twice since assuming office in May 2023
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will undertake a historic State Visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, following an official invitation from King Charles III.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the President is expected to travel with his wife and First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and will be formally received by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, west of London.
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The British Royal Family confirmed the visit in a statement shared on its official X account on Sunday, noting that the King and Queen will host the Nigerian leader and his wife during the two-day engagement.
“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Wednesday, 18 March to Thursday, 19 March 2026,” the statement read.
Reacting to the announcement, the Special Adviser to the President on Communication and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the visit as a landmark moment in Nigeria–UK relations, noting that it would be the first State Visit by a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years.
The last time Nigeria was accorded such honours was in 1989, when then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II during a four-day State Visit that included a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.
Only two other Nigerian leaders—General Yakubu Gowon in 1973 and President Shehu Shagari in 1981—had previously undertaken formal State Visits to the United Kingdom.
While several Nigerian presidents have visited the UK since 1989, including Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari, those trips were classified as private, working or official visits and did not carry full state honours.
President Tinubu has met King Charles III twice since assuming office in May 2023. Their first meeting took place at the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai in December 2023, followed by a private meeting at Buckingham Palace in September 2024, where discussions centred on climate change and global security.
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