President Bola Tinubu will embark on a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom in March, according to Buckingham Palace.

Military President Ibrahim Babangida embarked on the last Nigerian state visit to the UK in 1989.

The late Queen Elizabeth II had hosted Babangida for four days.

The BBC described State visits as a form of soft-power diplomacy, using the pomp of royal hospitality to strengthen relations with important international partners.

In a statement on Saturday, the royal communications team said the forthcoming visit is at the invitation of King Charles III.

Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.

Tinubu and King Charles, both of whom assumed office in May 2023, have met on several occasions. In November 2023, the Nigerian president met the monarch ahead of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, describing the engagement as a significant step toward strengthening bilateral relations.

In September 2024, King Charles also received Tinubu at Buckingham Palace for a private meeting.

The agenda for the March 18 visit has not been disclosed, nor details of the events planned for it but Buckingham Palace said further details will be announced in due course.

King Charles has longstanding ties to Nigeria and has expressed a love for Pidgin English and Afrobeats music.

Before becoming monarch, he visited Nigeria four times as the Prince of Wales.

The visits held in 1990, 1999, 2006 and 2018, according to BBC, and. Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, joined him on the latter trip.

In 2023, the King’s Trust International – formerly the Prince’s Trust – officially launched in Nigeria, announcing a project aimed at tackling youth unemployment. (Weekend Trust)

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