Tinubu, First Lady return to Lagos after two-day UK state visit

President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu returned to Nigeria on Friday following a successful two-day state visit to the United Kingdom.

A video shared on X by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, captured the moment the presidential aircraft touched down. Top government officials, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, were on hand to welcome the President and First Lady back home.

“A President arrives home. Excitement as President Tinubu returns to Nigeria after a resoundingly successful state visit to the UK,” Dare wrote.

The visit, held from March 18 to 19, 2026, marked the first formal state visit by a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years, the last being in 1989.

President Tinubu and the First Lady had earlier departed Abuja and arrived at London Stansted Airport on Tuesday.

They were hosted the following day at Windsor Castle by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, where they received a ceremonial welcome featuring an honour guard and carriage procession.

The Nigerian delegation also attended a state banquet hosted by the royal couple, during which President Tinubu reflected on the support he received in the UK during Nigeria’s military era and reaffirmed the long-standing relationship between both nations.

In his remarks, King Charles described the UK-Nigeria relationship as a “partnership of equals,” highlighting strong cultural, economic, and people-to-people ties.

President Tinubu also held high-level talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations.

As part of the visit, several agreements were signed, including a £746 million financing deal involving UK Export Finance, the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Additionally, both countries reached a new agreement to facilitate the return of failed Nigerian asylum seekers, visa overstayers, and convicted offenders, aimed at improving migration management and cooperation between the two nations.