Tinubu Embarks on First UK State Visit in 37 Years, Signs Major Trade and Maritime Deals

President Bola Tinubu is making his first official state visit to the UK in 37 years, meeting King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The visit will focus on trade, investment, defence, and cultural cooperation, including a £746-million deal to refurbish maritime facilities in Lagos. This visit comes amid discussions on historical reparations for colonial-era injustices, though it’s unclear if Tinubu will raise these issues.

President Bola Tinubu has embarked on his first official state visit to the United Kingdom as Nigeria’s leader in several decades, departing Abuja for London on Tuesday, 17 March. Accompanying him are his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, as well as several ministers and senior officials.
During the visit, Tinubu will be hosted by the UK’s monarch, King Charles III, and his wife, Queen Camilla, at Windsor Castle from 18 to 19 March, according to statements from both the Nigerian presidency and Buckingham Palace.
President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that the Nigerian president will hold a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The discussions are expected to cover trade, investment, defence, and cultural cooperation, with agreements likely to be signed. Tinubu will also witness the signing of a £746-million financing deal aimed at refurbishing two major maritime facilities in Lagos.
Bilateral trade between Nigeria and the UK reached £8.1 billion ($11 billion) in 2025, reflecting an 11.4% increase from the previous year. Nigeria, a former British colony, remains the continent’s most populous country, with a population of around 230 million, and is one of Africa’s largest economies.
The visit occurs amid broader discussions on historical injustices, with the African Union urging European powers to pay reparations for “crimes against humanity” committed during the slave trade and colonial era. A Nigerian court recently ordered the UK to pay £420 million to the families of miners killed in 1949 by British colonial authorities after they demanded better working conditions and unpaid wages. It is not yet clear whether President Tinubu will raise these issues with UK officials during his visit.
Although Tinubu has visited London multiple times previously, including in September 2024 when he met King Charles, this is the first official state visit by a Nigerian president to Britain in 37 years. The last state visit was by then-military leader General Ibrahim Babangida in 1989.
There has been no state visit by a UK monarch to Nigeria in recent years, although Queen Elizabeth II made official visits in 1956, prior to Nigeria’s independence, and in 2003 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. King Charles, as Prince of Wales, also visited Nigeria four times before ascending the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022.