President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi will on Tuesday travel to the United Kingdom for a historic state visit aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between both countries.

In a statement on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Temitope Ajayi, said Mr Tinubu will arrive in the United Kingdom on March 17.

He added that he is the fifth Nigerian leader to be accorded a state visit by the British Crown and the first to be hosted at Windsor Castle.

According to the statement, previous Nigerian leaders who undertook state visits to the UK were hosted at Buckingham Palace by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

It said that the first was Nigeria’s post-independence Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, received on December 14, 1965; five years after Nigeria gained independence from Britain.

The statement said Mr Balewa was followed by a former military Head of State Yakubu Gowon, who visited on June 12, 1973, and the country’s first democratically elected president, Shehu Shagari, whose visit lasted between March 17 and March 20, 1981.

The fourth Nigerian leader to undertake a state visit was a former military president Ibrahim Babangida, who visited Britain in May 1989 with his wife, the late Mariam Babangida.

However, Mr Ajayi said Mr Tinubu’s plan visit reflects the evolving relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom from historical ties shaped by colonial rule to a modern partnership driven by diplomacy, commerce, and investment.

He stated that since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, both countries have maintained “robust bilateral relations covering education, defence, trade, culture, technology, and sports.”

According to him, Security cooperation has also remained a key aspect of the partnership, with the UK supporting Nigeria through counterterrorism training, intelligence sharing and military capacity building.

Mr Ajayi said the visit comes at a time when both countries are seeking to expand trade and investment relations.

He noted that Nigeria is currently the second-largest trading partner of the United Kingdom in Africa, with annual bilateral trade estimated at about £8 billion, covering sectors such as energy, finance, education, technology and retail.

“Nigeria is the second largest trading partner of the United Kingdom in Africa with annual bilateral trade volumes estimated at about eight billion pounds across energy, finance, education, technology, and retail.

“Nigeria’s trade and economic partnership with the United Kingdom have been significantly strengthened under the UK Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP), which was signed in 2024 under the leadership of President Tinubu,” Mr Ajayi said.

He further said that economic cooperation between the two countries was further strengthened through the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) signed in 2024.

“The framework seeks to boost bilateral trade, remove barriers to commerce and expand collaboration in areas including agriculture, renewable energy, fintech, manufacturing, technology and the creative economy,” the statement added.

He stressed that Mr Tinubu, while in the UK, is expected to hold bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street.

The statement further said the Nigerian President is also scheduled to participate in a private sector-led business summit involving Nigerian and British investors.

It also added that the visit would provide an opportunity for the Nigerian leader to present the country’s ongoing economic reforms and highlight investment opportunities in sectors such as mining, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, food processing, technology and the creative industry.