King Charles is rolling out the red carpet for Nigeria’s President Tinubu in Windsor, the first muslim Head of State to be welcomed for a State Visit during the month of Ramadan in almost 100 years.<\/p>\n
Security is incredibly tight: lines of police officers and marshals are patrolling the streets, and crash barriers protect the route for this afternoon’s carriage procession through the town centre.<\/p>\n
On Monday, a series of Islamist suicide bombings killed 23 people in Nigeria and wounded more than 100.<\/p>\n
The terrorist attacks were blamed on the infamous Boko Haram militants in the north-east of the country.<\/p>\n King Charles | Source: PA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n President Tinubu condemned the “evil-minded” attacks.<\/p>\n Juliana Olayinka, a British Nigerian broadcaster, told GB News: “There have been issues around security. Particularly in the north of Nigeria for some time now. Whether we want to remember it or not, Nigeria is a former British colony, so the support that they [the Nigerian Government] can get from the British Army is going to be very well received back home.”<\/p>\n A tri-service parade of around 1,000 personnel is staging a ceremonial welcome for President Tinubu – a soft power move which is designed to show the strength of the British Armed Forces as both governments work collectively to deepen defence ties.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, China is investing billions of pounds in Nigeria’s infrastructure to buy more influence.<\/p>\n King Charles | Source: PA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n It is perhaps easy to see why Sir Keir Starmer wishes to use The King’s soft power to strengthen trade and security relations.<\/p>\n Ministers have announced that hundreds of new jobs are to be created, because a number of Nigerian companies are scaling up operations in the UK.<\/p>\n That’s the value of a State Visit; the King’s soft power at Windsor Castle is an opportunity for officials to negotiate improved relations behind closed doors in London.<\/p>\n It is understood that a number of Nigerian bankers are in the British capital city to explore investment opportunities.<\/p>\n King Charles, Queen Camilla | Source: PA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Nigeria is also seen as the bridge between the continents of Europe and Africa, so perhaps this is an opportunity for Sir Keir Starmer to continue British influence post-Brexit.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, relations have soured between President Trump, Prime Minister Starmer and President Tinubu.<\/p>\n Just yesterday, President Trump repeated his assertion that Starmer is “no Winston Churchill” – clearly still irritated by the British Prime Minister’s decision not to do more to help in the war against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran.<\/p>\n On Christmas Day, the United States unexpectedly launched a series of airstrikes against Islamist insurgents in Northern Nigeria.<\/p>\n King Charles, Queen Camilla, Nigerian President and First Lady | Source: PA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n So, what will President Trump make of The King treating President Tinubu to a magnificent state banquet in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall?<\/p>\n Buckingham Palace and the UK Government declined to comment on whether His Majesty’s rumoured trip to the United States is going ahead as planned next month.<\/p>\n Let’s see how strengthening defence ties between the UK and Nigeria is interpreted on the other side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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