President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to undertake a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom on March 18, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
According to a statement released by the royal communications team on Saturday, the visit comes at the invitation of King Charles. President Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife, Oluremi Tinubu.
This marks the first state visit to the UK by a Nigerian president in 37 years. Previous visits were made by Yakubu Gowon in 1973, Shehu Shagari in 1981, and Ibrahim Babangida in 1989. Meanwhile, King Charles, during his time as Prince of Wales, visited Nigeria in 1990, 1999, 2006, and 2018.
The upcoming trip will not be the first interaction between President Tinubu and King Charles, who both assumed office in May 2023. The Nigerian leader previously met the British monarch in November 2023 ahead of the 28th United Nations climate change conference (COP28) in Dubai, UAE. Tinubu described that encounter as an important step toward enhancing Nigeria–UK relations.
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In September 2024, King Charles hosted President Tinubu at Buckingham Palace for a private meeting. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanugua said the discussions covered global and regional issues, with particular emphasis on the pressing challenge of climate change.
The royal communications team stated that additional details of the state visit itinerary will be released in due course.