In a move to solidify Nigeria-UK relations, President Bola Tinubu accompanied by the First Lady, Oluremi, embarked on a historic state visit to London on Tuesday.
The two-day mission, hosted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle, is expected to yield significant new partnerships and memoranda of understanding.
Before his 10 a.m. departure from Abuja, the President was greeted at the airport by a cohort of senior government leaders and security chiefs, including the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, among others.
The visit is expected to culminate in the signing of a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding covering critical sectors such as trade and investment, energy transition, solid minerals development, and security cooperation.
While at Windsor Castle, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host the President and the First Lady to a special exhibition from the Royal Collection featuring items related to Nigeria.
The programme will also include private discussions between the monarch and the Nigerian leader as well as a joint engagement with organisations involved in interfaith dialogue at both national and international levels.
A State Banquet will also be hosted by the Royal Family in honour of President Tinubu and his delegation.
Beyond the royal engagements, the President will hold a bilateral meeting with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, at 10 Downing Street, where both countries are expected to deepen cooperation across several sectors.
The meeting will culminate in the signing of a series of Memoranda of Understanding and agreements covering trade, investment, defence and cultural cooperation.
During the visit, President Tinubu will also witness the signing of a landmark £746 million financing agreement between the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The financing package is intended to support the refurbishment of two of Nigeria’s key maritime infrastructure facilities — the Lagos Port Complex (Apapa Quays) and the Tin Can Island Port Complex.
The President will further attend the Nigerian Modernism exhibition as the guest of honour, an event designed to showcase modern Nigerian arts and culture.
He will also participate in a reception bringing together Nigerian and British business leaders as well as members of the Nigerian diaspora in the United Kingdom.
Tinubu is expected back in the country at the end of the two-day visit.
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