London, United Kingdom — President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, arrived in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, marking the beginning of a rare and historic state visit between the two countries.
The Nigerian presidential aircraft landed at Stansted Airport in London, United Kingdom, shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time, which corresponds to 3:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The arrival signals the start of a high level diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom that is expected to deepen cooperation across several sectors.
Confirmation of the landing came from Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Media and Public Communication, who shared a brief video of the aircraft arriving on the runway.
“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 short clip shows the presidential aircraft taxiing on the runway before the Nigerian leader and the First Lady disembarked.
The visit was extended by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the reigning monarch and queen consort of the United Kingdom. The Nigerian delegation will be hosted at Windsor Castle, one of the official royal residences located in Windsor, England, from Wednesday, March 18 to Thursday, March 19, 2026.
Okay News reports that the visit represents the first official Nigerian state visit to the United Kingdom since 1989. It will also mark the first time a Nigerian head of state is formally hosted at Windsor Castle.
Nigeria’s previous state visits to the United Kingdom occurred in 1973 and 1981 during the reign of Elizabeth II, the late Queen of the United Kingdom who ruled for more than seventy years until her death in 2022.
During the visit, President Tinubu is expected to participate in several high level diplomatic and cultural engagements aimed at strengthening relations between both nations.
One of the events on the schedule is the Nigerian Modernism exhibition, a cultural showcase that highlights contemporary Nigerian art, creativity, and heritage. The Nigerian leader will attend the event as the guest of honour.
The President will also participate in a reception bringing together Nigerian and British business leaders as well as members of the Nigerian diaspora community living in the United Kingdom. The gathering is designed to encourage investment partnerships and economic collaboration.
In addition to cultural engagements, the visit includes major diplomatic discussions. President Tinubu is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, at 10 Downing Street, the official office and residence of the British Prime Minister in London.
Officials say the discussions are expected to strengthen cooperation between Nigeria and the United Kingdom across trade, investment, security, and cultural exchange.
The meeting will conclude with the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding and bilateral agreements covering sectors such as trade development, defence collaboration, and cultural partnerships.
President Tinubu will also witness the signing of a major financing agreement worth £746 million between UK Export Finance, the United Kingdom government’s export credit agency, and two Nigerian government institutions: the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The agreement will support the rehabilitation and modernisation of two of Nigeria’s largest maritime facilities. These include the Lagos Port Complex, commonly known as Apapa Quays, and the Tin Can Island Port Complex, both located in Lagos State in southwestern Nigeria.
These ports are among the busiest shipping gateways in West Africa and are critical to Nigeria’s international trade operations.
President Tinubu travelled to the United Kingdom with a large delegation of senior Nigerian officials.
Members of the delegation include President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Godswill Akpabio, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake, and Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris.
Also accompanying the President are Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Ojukwu, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Jumoke Oduwole, and Minister of Culture and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa.
Other members of the delegation include Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.
The visit is widely seen as an important diplomatic engagement that could shape future economic cooperation and strategic ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
