Queen Elizabeth II in Nigeria
Queen Elizabeth II visited Nigeria many times before her death. Read on to find out more.
Queen Elizabeth II in Nigeria
There will be no Nigeria without mentioning the Britons. The history that has bound the two mighty nations dates from time immemorial when civilization was yet to smile on the fragments of diverse lands and territories that would later be merged and called the Niger Area, present-day Nigeria.
Before the emergence of modern-day civilization, the Royal family played an overly significant role to see it. Of course, civilization was not handed down without a price. The price was grave. Factually, the price is what we, the present generation, came to learn as slavery and stomping. There are also good sides to this intervention of the Brits – they brought about everything Nigerians and several parts of the world enjoy today.
Threading down memory lane, the late monarch, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, who died on September 8, 2022, was the chief monarch of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963. She
equally ruled Canada, the UK, Australia, and other colonies during this period and longer. However, this portal or article will only focus on the late monarch’s visit to Nigeria.
On a quick jaunt down the rest of the article, to not bore you with a lengthy verbose piece of work, I would state strictly why the late monarch came to Nigeria.
Why did Queen Elizabeth II come to Nigeria?
Factually, the Queen of England made many visits to commonwealth nations across the world of which Nigeria is a part. It was a part of the royal family’s duty. Soon enough, after the death of her father, King George VI, of which she was retracted from her assignment and made Queen at the young age of 26. On the 6th of February 1952, the Queen resumed her father’s monarchical roles and functions.
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Facts to note on Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Nigeria
● The Queen’s visit to Nigeria was in 1956, three years after her ascension to the throne, during which she spent 20 days.
● A popular event took place, and it was the commissioning of her bronze sculpture, created by a popular sculptor of Igbo extraction, Ben Enwonwu.
● During her visit, the Nigerian State capital was Lagos. Therefore, she landed in Lagos and was driven about in the Rolls-Royce provided by Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, the
father of the Veteran warlord Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who declared the nation of Biafra sovereign and tried to secede which led to the Nigerian civil war.
● The late Queen Elizabeth II of England visited major cities in Nigeria, including Sokoto, where she saw the Sultan of Sokoto, Enugu, Jos, Kaduna, and Kano. The tour was popularly called the Royal Tour.
● On the course of the Queen’s visit, there was a series of events and pageantries to honour her visit. On arrival, she was saluted at the airport by distinguished men and women of caliber – the likes of Sir James Robertson, who then was governor-general of the Nigerian nation and Festis Okotie Eboh, and other dignitaries.
● The monarch visited Nigeria again in 2003 and was hosted by former president Olusegun Obasanjo. She visited for the heads of government meeting, which the then president under civilian rule hosted in Abuja. Queen Elizabeth has since then kept a very close relationship with Nigeria since the pre and post-independent era in the nation’s history.
The Death of Queen Elizabeth II
Buckingham Palace announced her dead on Thursday, September 8, 2022, as she died peacefully on her bed.
The world is currently reacting to the news of her death – she has been a part of everyone’s life and every nation’s existence, directly or indirectly.