President Tinubu Meets King Charles III on Historic UK State Visit, Discusses Ports and Trade

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to meet with King Charles III on Wednesday, marking Nigeria’s first state visit to the United Kingdom in nearly 40 years.

The president and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, arrived Tuesday at London’s Stansted Airport to commence the historic engagement.

The official itinerary includes meetings with Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, who will accompany them to Windsor. Later, President Tinubu will have an audience with King Charles at Windsor Castle, followed by a state banquet.

The visit underscores the strong diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

A strategic partnership signed in November 2024 aims to enhance cooperation in trade, immigration, and security. Bilateral trade reached £8.1 billion ($11 billion) in the year ending September 2025, an 11.4 per cent increase from the previous year.

Key topics likely to be discussed include major Nigerian port renovations supported by Britain and other trade and investment opportunities.

The state visit comes amid ongoing security challenges in Nigeria, following suspected suicide bombings in the northeast that claimed at least 23 lives. President Tinubu directed security chiefs to move to Maiduguri to take charge of the situation.

On Thursday, he is also scheduled to meet Keir Starmer and members of the Nigerian diaspora in the United Kingdom.

This visit follows Tinubu’s earlier meeting with Charles in September 2024 and marks the first Nigerian state visit to the UK since 1989.