By Abiola Olawale
Buckingham Palace has announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted an invitation from His Majesty King Charles III for a State Visit to the United Kingdom.
The visit, scheduled for March 18 to 19, 2026, marks the first time a Nigerian leader has been accorded the honors of a full state visit in nearly four decades.
The last such engagement took place in 1989 when General Ibrahim Babangida was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu will be the guests of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle. The two-day itinerary is expected to blend grand royal pageantry with high-stakes bilateral discussions.
This was contained in a statement issued by the royal communications team on Sunday.
The statement reads: “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 King and Queen will host the State Visit at Windsor Castle.”
It is the first state visit to the UK by a Nigerian leader in 37 years.
The last three Nigerian state visits to the UK were in 1973 by Yakubu Gowon, 1981 by Shehu Shagari, and 1989 by Ibrahim Babangida.
King Charles, then Prince of Wales, visited Nigeria in 1990, 1999, 2006, and 2018.
This will not be the first meeting between Tinubu and King Charles, both of whom assumed office in May 2023.
Tinubu met the British monarch in November 2023 ahead of the 28th United Nations climate change conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In September 2024, the king received Tinubu at Buckingham Palace for a private meeting.
