President Muhammadu Buhari
The United Kingdom under the late Queen Elizabeth II supported the unity of Nigeria during the Civil War between 1967 and 1970, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday.
Recalling that the late Queen visited Nigeria twice before her demise, Buhari stressed that she stood by Nigeria during torrid times.
The President spoke during a condolence visit to the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, at her residence in Abuja on Saturday. He was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
Said Buhari: “We have maintained very close ties with the monarchy. She was a very gracious and elegant queen. For the purposes of remembrance, the fact is that 90 per cent of Nigerians do not know any monarch in the UK other than the queen. We welcome the new king and we look forward to a strong working relationship with the UK.
“They have been a very strong ally even in the midst of our difficult time during the Biafran war; they stood for the indivisibility of the Nigerian state, supported and ensured that we overcame that problem.
“We are partnering to deal with the insurgency so that it doesn’t overwhelm us. They have always stood as a very strong ally”.
“The head of the commonwealth to which we belong. Not only that, she was the head of state for three years from 1960 to 1963 and when we became a republic she ceased to be. We have had very close ties with the queen. She visited the country twice; first in 1953 when she spent about 20 days visiting different towns, and the second one was in 2003 during president Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure”.
Laing had said on Friday that a condolence book would be opened at the High Commission Office in the Central Business District area of Abuja from September 12 to 16 and on 19 from 11:00am to 3:00pm daily.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles was on Saturday afternoon proclaimed as king Charles III. The event, steeped in ancient tradition and political symbolism, held at St. James’ Palace, the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom.
Charles had emerged as the king following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, but Saturday’s event confirmed his ascendancy to the throne. The Queen had died peacefully on Thursday at her Balmoral Estate in Scotland.
The Accession Council, it was reported, convened on Saturday for what was considered “a constitutional formality to recognise Charles’ sovereignty”.
He read and signed an oath to uphold the security of the Church in Scotland, where there is a separation of powers between the Church and State. He later signed copies of the declaration, with his wife, Queen Consort Camilla; son, Prince William; and Prime Minister, Liz Truss, also signing the declaration as witnesses.
Prime Minister Truss and senior members of her government have also taken oaths of loyalty to King Charles III in the House of Commons.
House of Commons Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, was the first to pledge he would “bear true allegiance to his Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors”, followed by the longest-serving lawmakers and the prime minister.
Normal parliamentary business has been suspended during a period of mourning for the queen. The House of Commons held a rare Saturday session so that lawmakers could pay tribute to the late monarch, according to media reports.
The late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is scheduled for Monday, September 19. The event, which would hold in Westminster Abbey, is expected to be attended by world leaders.
The remains of the late monarch are expected to lie in state for four days for mourners to be able to pay their respect. On Sunday (today), the Queen’s coffin would taken from Balmoral to Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh ahead of the state funeral.
The Queen’s coffin would will on Monday be moved by procession to St Giles’ Cathedral, accompanied by the King and members of the royal family. Currently, the coffin is covered with the Royal Standard, with a wreath of flowers placed on top.
