President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu arrived at Stansted Airport on Tuesday afternoon, signalling the commencement of a historic state visit to the United Kingdom, UK.
The arrival of the presidential aircraft was confirmed in a post and short video shared on X by the special adviser to the president on media and public communication, Sunday Dare.
“Timeline: 15:23PM. President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu touch down at Stansted airport, United Kingdom as Historic Visit begins,” Dare wrote.
The brief footage shows the aircraft taxiing on the runway before coming to a halt, after which the President and the First Lady disembark.
The visit follows an invitation from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
It marks the first Nigerian state visit to the UK since 1989 and the first time a Nigerian leader will be hosted at Windsor Castle.
Earlier Nigerian state visits took place in 1973 and 1981 during the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In a statement issued on Monday, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that the President and the First Lady would stay at Windsor Castle as guests of the British monarch from March 18 to 19.
During the visit, the Nigerian leader is expected to attend the Nigerian Modernism exhibition celebrating contemporary art and culture.
He will also participate in a reception involving Nigerian and British business leaders as well as members of the Nigerian diaspora.
The programme further includes a meeting between the King and the President with organisations involved in interfaith dialogue at both national and international levels.
President Tinubu is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, at 10 Downing Street.
The talks are expected to strengthen diplomatic engagement between officials of the two nations.
The discussions will conclude with the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding, MoU, covering trade, investment, defence cooperation and cultural exchange.
The President will also witness the signing of a £746 million financing agreement between UK Export Finance, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and the federal ministry of finance.
The deal is aimed at supporting the rehabilitation of two key maritime facilities — the Lagos Port Complex in Apapa and the Tin Can Island Port Complex.
Members of the President’s delegation for the trip include Godswill Akpabio; the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi; minister of solid minerals, Dele Alake; minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris; minister of state for foreign affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun; and minister of industry, trade and investment, Jumoke Oduwole.
Others listed in the entourage are the minister of culture and creative economy, Hannatu Musawa; minister of communications and digital economy, Bosun Tijani; minister of defence, Christopher Musa; the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and director-general of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Mohammed Mohammed.
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