Adedokun Waliyu 
President Bola Tinubu is set to embark on a historic State Visit to the United Kingdom later this month, following an invitation from King Charles III.
Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, will be received at Windsor Castle, west of London, on March 18-19 by Charles and Queen Camilla, the palace said.
The British Royal Family confirmed this in a statement posted on its official X account on Sunday.
“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,” the Royal family stated.
Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, also confirmed the development, describing it as a landmark moment in Nigeria–UK relations.
“First state visit of a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years confirmed. President Tinubu and First Lady Remi Tinubu to be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla from 18th March to 19th March 2026,” he wrote on X.
London and Abuja concluded a strategic partnership in November 2024 to strengthen their cooperation on economic, immigration, and security matters.
The visit is significant as it marks the first time a Nigerian leader will be received in the United Kingdom with full state honours since 1989, when then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.
Babangida’s four-day visit included a stay at a royal residence and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.
Only two other Nigerian leaders had undertaken formal State Visits to the UK: General Yakubu Gowon in June 1973 and President Shehu Shagari in 1981.
Although several Nigerian presidents have travelled to the UK since 1989, those visits were categorised as private, working, or official engagements, which do not carry the ceremonial weight and pageantry of a State Visit.
Leaders such as Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Muhammadu Buhari, who attended King Charles III’s coronation in 2023, all visited under non-state designations.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has met King Charles III twice since assuming office.
Their first meeting took place in December 2023 on the sidelines of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, while a second, private meeting was held in September 2024 at Buckingham Palace, where discussions focused on climate change and global security.
Since his inauguration in May 2023, President Tinubu has undertaken more than 10 foreign trips to several countries.
While many were working visits, summit attendances, or private stays, several have been officially classified as state or official visits involving formal invitations and ceremonial protocols.
Notable among them are his recent state visit to Türkiye, where he met President Recep Erdoğan and signed nine strategic agreements covering defence, energy, and trade; a state visit to Brazil in August 2025 following an invitation from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; and an official state visit to China in September 2024 during the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation.
Other official engagements include visits to Equatorial Guinea in August 2024 for talks on maritime security and gas cooperation, the Netherlands in April 2024 for the Nigerian-Dutch Business and Investment Forum, Qatar in March 2024 at the invitation of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Benin Republic in August 2023 as a special guest at its 63rd Independence Anniversary.
President Tinubu’s official foreign engagements have spanned Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.
