President Bola Tinubu and King Charles III of the United Kingdom have met privately to strengthen ties and discuss global issues, with a particular focus on climate change.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed details of the meeting in a statement on Thursday. The leaders explored collaborative opportunities ahead of the upcoming COP 29 Summit in Azerbaijan and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM, in Samoa.
President Tinubu emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to tackling climate change while maintaining energy security and expressed a desire for innovative climate financing strategies. This marked the first meeting between the two leaders since their interaction at COP 28 in Dubai, held at the King’s request, showcasing the continued cooperation between the two nations.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is a biennial summit meeting of the governmental leaders from all Commonwealth nations. Despite the name, the head of state may be present in the meeting instead of the head of government, especially among semi-presidential states.
READ ALSO : Prince William holds meeting with King Charles at Palace as abdication looms
Every two years the meeting is held in a different member state and is chaired by that nation’s respective prime minister or president, who becomes the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office until the next meeting. Queen Elizabeth II, who was the Head of the Commonwealth, attended every CHOGM beginning with Ottawa in 1973 until Perth in 2011, although her formal participation only began in 1997. She was represented by the Prince of Wales at the 2013 meeting as the 87-year-old monarch was curtailing long-distance travel. The Queen attended the 2015 summit in Malta and the 2018 summit (delayed by one year) in London, but was represented again by the Prince of Wales at the 2022 meeting (delayed by two years) in Rwanda.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2024 will take place in Apia, Samoa from 21-26 October 2024. It will be the first CHOGM to be held in a Pacific Small Island Developing State. Building on progress since CHOGM 2022, leaders will deliberate on global economic, environmental and security challenges, and discuss how Commonwealth countries can work together to build resilience, boost trade, innovation, growth and empower the Commonwealth’s 1.5 billion young people for a more peaceful and sustainable future.
Credible News.ng
