State visits are a means of constructing relationships with worldwide companions and the Nigeria visit will see a strengthening of enterprise hyperlinks, together with monetary providers.
More than 270,000 Nigerian-born people , externalreside in the UK.
“This state visit is about turning a historic relationship into a modern economic partnership – transforming trust into opportunity,” mentioned (*37*) authorities spokesman, Mohammed Idris.
“Nigeria’s economic reforms are unlocking the potential of Africa’s largest consumer market. The United Kingdom is a natural partner in what comes next.
“This visit marks the subsequent step in deepening co-operation throughout commerce, finance and defence,” said Idris.
Later, there will be exchanges of gifts and displays of items related to Nigeria that are kept in the Royal Collection, before an opulent state banquet in St George’s Hall.
President Tinubu and his Christian wife will lay a wreath of flowers on the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II, in St George’s Chapel.
The couple will also attend an interfaith event, designed to build bridges between religions.
On Thursday, Mrs Tinubu, who is also an ordained pastor, is set to preach at a service at Lambeth Palace and meet representatives from the Church of England.
The Tinubus are from the Yoruba community of the south-west, one of the country’s largest ethnic groups that is divided between Muslims and Christians.
In fact, Nigeria’s 220 million people are roughly evenly split between followers of the two religions, with mostly Muslims in the north and largely Christians in the south.
President Tinubu faces growing international pressure to tackle insecurity and better protect vulnerable groups – in particular from the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has raised concerns about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria.
Though the Nigerian government says members of all faiths have suffered amidst the country’s numerous and overlapping and security challenges, including an Islamist insurgency, kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs, clashes over land and separatist unrest – which often play on ethnic as well as religious identity.
In the north-eastern state of Borno state this week at least 23 people were killed and 108 injured by a series of suspected suicide bombings, blamed on hard-line Islamist militants from the Boko Haram group.
President Tinubu condemned the “evil-minded” terror groups – and MPs in the UK have called for the protection of freedom of worship in Nigeria.
The visit takes place against the backdrop of war in the Middle East as well as the conflict in Ukraine – with Ukraine’s President Zelensky meeting King Charles on Tuesday.
The banquet may even see the King’s first speech for the reason that arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
