Nosmot Gbadamosi
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu began a two-day historic state visit to the United Kingdom on Wednesday. King Charles III and Queen Camilla are hosting Tinubu and his wife, former Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, at Windsor Castle, marking the first formal visit by a Nigerian leader to the country since military ruler Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s trip nearly four decades ago.
The two nations share a violent colonial history, where Britain effectively looted and ran the country as a corporate enterprise, but have grown ever closer in recent years as Abuja seeks to cultivate stable and predictable alliances in the face of an increasingly erratic White House.
“I do not seek to offer words that dissolve the past, for no words can,” Charles said at a state banquet for Tinubu on Wednesday, adding that he hoped for a more optimistic future “worthy of those who bore the pains of the past.”
Recent military cooperation with the United States has also not yielded results in combating a toxic brew of security problems spurred by jihadists, criminal armed groups, and separatists.
At least 65 Nigerian soldiers were killed, and 300 civilians, including children, were abducted in a coordinated attack earlier this month on military bases in northeast Nigeria by the Islamic State West Africa Province. On Monday, suicide bombers targeted crowded areas in the northeast, including a hospital, killing at least 23 people; the army blamed suspected Islamist militants.
Some British lawmakers have called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to confront Tinubu during the visit about alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria—a claim popularized by U.S. President Donald Trump that misrepresents the security situation in the country, where all faiths have been affected by rising violence.
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Perhaps as counterpropaganda, Oluremi Tinubu, who is a Christian pastor, is slated to preach at services in London’s Lambeth Palace and meet with representatives of the Church of England.
The British government recently said that it wants to shift from a culture of “paternalism to a partnership of respect and equality” with African nations, in which it would no longer lecture African leaders on governance and move “from donor to investor.”
Both nations are looking to diversify trading partners amid Trump’s tariff threats. Already, the pair have close economic ties. The United Kingdom has long been one of the largest sources of capital inflows into Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nigeria has long supplied crude oil to its former colonizer, and last year, London’s exports of refined oil to Abuja increased by nearly 60 percent.
Tinubu’s visit comes at a crucial time, as Nigeria seeks foreign investment to develop its oil infrastructure and thereby safeguard its economy at a moment when war in Iran has sent oil markets spiraling. Fighting in the Middle East has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transport conduit, causing global oil prices to surge.
Nigeria recently suspended the issuance of new licenses for fuel imports for a second month in a row to prioritize domestic production from the Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest refinery. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has urged Gulf oil producers to invest in Nigeria as an alternative source to the Middle East.
As Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria could in theory benefit economically from rising global oil prices, but insecurity in the Niger Delta—where the country’s oil production is concentrated—and damaged pipelines have hindered its ability to produce enough crude oil both domestically and for export. It frequently misses its OPEC quota of 1.5 million barrels per day and does not currently have the capacity to fill the void created by the Iran war.
Tinubu’s government has repeatedly deployed troops to protect oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta, but some troops face allegations of engaging in oil theft. In the past, the United Kingdom has supported the Nigerian Navy to combat piracy and offshore oil theft in the Niger Delta, including with training for small-boat patrols, after deeming that the insecurity indirectly affected its own economy.
Now, Tinubu is looking to strengthen defense and surveillance cooperation with Britain to increase Nigeria’s ability to pump more oil and tackle a number of security issues, including jihadists in the north. Among Nigeria’s large delegation to England are ministers for defense, national intelligence, and minerals.
At the same time, Abuja is hoping to deepen bilateral investment in the fintech and creative industries. British fintech company Wise has been approved to operate in the country, while Nigerian banks are seeking to expand into London.
Creative collaboration between the two countries is becoming increasingly apparent. Iwájú, a 2024 animated Disney+ series set in a futuristic Lagos, was created by Kugali Media, a pan-African British-based firm. And Nigerian film My Father’s Shadow, which received a Caméra d’Or Special Mention at Cannes and won Outstanding Debut at the 2026 British Academy Film Awards, was financed by U.K. institutions.
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