President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu arrived at Stansted Airport on Tuesday afternoon, marking the beginning of a historic state visit to the United Kingdom.
The presidential plane landed shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time under bright skies, as seen in a post and video published on X by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication.
“Timeline: 15:23PM. President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu touch down at Stansted Airport, United Kingdom, as the historic visit begins,” Dare wrote.
In the brief video clip, the airplane comes to a halt on the runway before the presidential couple disembarks.
The visit, which was offered by invitation from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla, is the first Nigerian state visit to the United Kingdom since 1989 and the first time a Nigerian leader will be entertained at Windsor Castle. The late Queen Elizabeth II paid previous state visits to Nigeria in 1973 and 1981.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, announced on Monday that the president and first lady will be the king’s and queen’s guests at Windsor Castle from March 18 to 19.
The President will also be the guest of honor at the Nigerian Modernism exhibition, which will highlight modern arts and culture, as well as a reception with Nigerian and British business leaders and members of the diaspora.
The King and President will also meet with national and international organizations that promote interfaith understanding.
Tinubu will meet bilaterally with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street, which will result in increased contact between senior officials from both nations.
The summit will conclude with the signing of several memorandums of understanding and agreements, including those on trade, investment, defense, and cultural cooperation.
The President will witness the signing of a landmark £746 million financing agreement between UK Export Finance, the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the Federal Ministry of Finance to support the refurbishment of two major national maritime infrastructures: the Lagos Port Complex (Apapa Quays) and the Tin Can Island Port Complex.
Members of the president’s entourage include Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed; and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu.
Others are Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun; Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment Dr. Jumoke Oduwole; Minister of Culture and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa; and Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani.
Also on the trip are Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.); National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.
