The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described the invitation by the Buckingham Palace to President Bola Tinubu for a state visit to the United Kingdom in March this year as yet another sign of the global acclaim trailing the President’s tenure in office.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG noted that it was an indication of King Charles’s readiness to strengthen the UK’s relations with Nigeria.
The statement reads: “This is not President Bola Tinubu’s first official invitation for a state visit from one of Nigeria’s major partners but this one from the British monarch, King Charles III, is particularly outstanding. In some respects, it is historic.
“It is the first time a democratically-elected Nigerian President would be officially invited to the United Kingdom for a state visit. The last Nigerian leader to be so invited was former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, who visited the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1989.
“As the BBC reported, the invitation would go a long way to strengthen relations between the two countries. It would also be a good opportunity for the British royal family to have a first-hand knowledge of President Tinubu’s impressive globally-referenced solution-driven reform policies and programmes.
“While details of the President’s itinerary during the visit are yet to be made public, we are convinced that it would include rich bilateral engagements especially as the British royal hospitality is, almost always, used as a form of soft-power interaction with the country’s important international partners.
“We are aware that since his ascension to the British throne in 2022, King Charles III has hosted only seven world leaders on state visits. We dare say that the upcoming state visit by President Bola Tinubu is an opportunity for Nigeria to deepen bilateral relations with the United Kingdom to the benefit of their citizens bearing in mind their long-standing traditional ties dating back to the colonial period. To most Nigerians, the UK ranks as a second home.
“Available credible data indicate that the total Nigerian-born population (2021/22), including Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland, was approximately 293,609. Current key trends also showed that the number of Nigerians has grown significantly due to immigration, with tens of thousands of Nigerians granted study or work visas in recent years.
“We also acknowledge that President Tinubu is the first world leader to be invited by King Charles III for a state visit to the UK in 2026. And coming a few days after his state visit to Turkiye, also on official invitation, it has become increasingly clear that the Nigerian President is receiving the kind of attention on the global stage worthy of the stature of Nigeria.”
The TMSG expressed hope that the forth-coming state visit would further cement the existing strong ties in various sectors between the UK and Nigeria such as defence, security, finance, commerce, technology, education, health, creative economy, defence, etc.