Nigerian President Bola Tinubu arrived in London Tuesday for the country’s first state visit to Britain in nearly four decades.
He and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu were greeted at Stansted Airport, marking a high-profile return to the former colonial power.
On Wednesday, the president will meet Prince William and his wife Catherine, before travelling with them to historic Windsor Castle.
Later, King Charles III will receive Tinubu for a private audience, followed by a state banquet at the royal residence.
Britain and Nigeria maintain strong ties in trade, defence, and aid, with London hosting a significant Nigerian diaspora community.
A 2024 strategic partnership between London and Abuja aims to boost economic, immigration, and security cooperation between the two nations.
Trade between the countries reached £8.1 billion ($11 billion) in the year to September 2025, marking an 11.4 percent increase.
Tinubu’s visit comes amid deadly attacks in northeastern Nigeria, where at least 23 people died in suspected suicide bombings Monday.
He has dispatched security chiefs to Maiduguri to oversee the response, as Nigeria continues to battle a jihadist insurgency since 2009.
On Thursday, Tinubu will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and engage with the Nigerian diaspora across London.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, a Christian pastor, will preach at Lambeth Palace and meet leaders of the Church of England.
The visit omits a traditional meeting with the British opposition, led by Conservative Kemi Badenoch, who has criticised Nigeria publicly.
Tinubu previously met Charles in September 2024, and the last Nigerian state visit to Britain occurred in 1989 under Queen Elizabeth II.