By Ayomide Otitoju
President Bola Tinubu is set to undertake a State Visit to the United Kingdom later this month following an invitation from King Charles III, in what has been described as a landmark moment in Nigeria–UK relations.
According to a statement issued by the British Royal Family on its official X account on Sunday, President Tinubu and his wife, the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, will be received by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, west of London, from March 18 to March 19, 2026.
“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, 18th March to Thursday, 19th March 2026,” the statement said. “The King and Queen will host the State Visit at Windsor Castle.”
The development was also confirmed by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who described the visit as historic, noting that it would be the first State Visit by a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years.
“First state visit of a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years confirmed. President Tinubu and First Lady Remi Tinubu to be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla from 18th March to 19th March 2026,” Onanuga wrote on X.
The visit comes amid growing diplomatic engagement between London and Abuja, following the conclusion of a strategic partnership agreement in November 2024 aimed at strengthening cooperation in areas such as the economy, immigration, and security.
President Tinubu’s visit is significant as it marks the first time since 1989 that a Nigerian leader will be accorded full State Visit honours in the United Kingdom. The last such visit was by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, who was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Babangida’s four-day visit included a stay at a royal residence and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.
Before Babangida, only two Nigerian leaders undertook formal State Visits to the UK: General Yakubu Gowon in June 1973 and President Shehu Shagari in 1981. Although 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 the ceremonial status of a State Visit. Buhari, for instance, attended the coronation of King Charles III in 2023 under a non-state designation.
President Tinubu has met King Charles III twice since assuming office. Their first meeting took place in December 2023 on the sidelines of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, while a second, private meeting was held in September 2024 at Buckingham Palace, where discussions reportedly focused on climate change and global security.
Since his inauguration in May 2023, President Tinubu has embarked on more than 10 foreign trips across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. While many were working visits, summit attendances, or private engagements, several were classified as state or official visits involving formal invitations and ceremonial protocols.
Notable among them were his state visit to Türkiye, where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and signed nine strategic agreements covering defence, energy, and trade; a state visit to Brazil in August 2025 following an invitation from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; and an official state visit to China in September 2024 during the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation.
Other official engagements included visits to Equatorial Guinea in August 2024 for talks on maritime security and gas cooperation, the Netherlands in April 2024 for the Nigerian-Dutch Business and Investment Forum, Qatar in March 2024 at the invitation of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Benin Republic in August 2023 as a special guest at its 63rd Independence Anniversary.
President Tinubu’s forthcoming State Visit to the United Kingdom is expected to further deepen diplomatic ties and reinforce cooperation between both countries.
