President Bola Tinubu’s landmark two-day state visit to the United Kingdom, which commenced on Wednesday, notably excludes a formal meeting with Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party.
On the first day of the visit—the first by a Nigerian leader in 37 years—President Tinubu met with King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, engaged with interfaith leaders, and attended a state banquet.
While he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, no official slot was carved out for the opposition leader.
Although it is traditional for visiting heads of state to meet with the Leader of the Opposition, Badenoch was reportedly not introduced to the President during the banquet, despite her attendance.
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Badenoch, who has Nigerian roots, has frequently drawn fire for her sharp critiques of her ancestral home.
She has previously described Nigeria as a place of thieving politicians and has claimed she was once robbed by Nigerian police.
These remarks led Vice-President Kashim Shettima to suggest she should “remove the Kemi from her name” if she was not proud of her origin. While she famously shared a photo with President Donald Trump during his UK visit, she notably did not post any photos with Tinubu following the banquet.
Addressing ongoing security concerns, President Tinubu and King Charles held a dialogue with interfaith organizations at Vicars’ Hall, Windsor, to discuss solutions to the violence impacting Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria.
While some international observers have labeled the violence in the Middle Belt and North as targeted persecution or genocide, the Nigerian government maintains these are “terrorist acts that cut across all faiths.”
During the state banquet, President Tinubu highlighted the impact of the Nigerian diaspora, noting that “Nigerian-trained doctors are among the largest groups of international medical professionals serving the NHS.”
He also emphasized the necessity of the UK-Nigeria security alliance, stating: “In confronting these threats, partnership with the United Kingdom remains essential and I look forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer tomorrow.”
He described Nigerians as “a nation of diverse and vibrant people, of young people dreaming big, of entrepreneurs with a global outlook, and of a hopeful people determined to realise their full potential.”
The visit also serves a major economic purpose.
Ahead of his meeting with the Prime Minister, the British Commission announced a series of investment deals expected to create hundreds of jobs.
A centerpiece of the trip is the signing of a £746 million financing agreement to modernize the Lagos Port Complex in Apapa and the Tin Can Island Port.
According to government spokesman Mohammed Idris, the visit aims to transform the historical relationship into a “modern economic alliance” covering security, immigration, healthcare, and trade.
