Maiduguri incident not enough to halt Tinubu’s UK visit — Ex-foreign minister

A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bolaji Akinyemi, has said the recent bombing in Maiduguri was not sufficient reason to halt President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom.

Tinubu undertook the two-day visit at the invitation of King Charles III, marking one of the highest levels of diplomatic engagement by the British monarchy and the first of such scale by a Nigerian leader in 37 years.

The trip has attracted criticism from opposition figures, who questioned the president’s decision to travel abroad amid rising insecurity and economic concerns at home.

Speaking on Arise TV on Friday, Akinyemi argued that the visit could not have been cancelled at short notice due to the Maiduguri incident, stressing the importance of maintaining diplomatic commitments.

“I really believe that what we should be talking about is the significance rather than trying to limp in about whether the visit should have gone on or not. When you see the show that was put on, do you think that could have been amended at the last minute because of what happened in Maiduguri?” he said.

He noted that while the incident was unfortunate, it would have been inappropriate to disrupt a high-level state engagement already planned at such scale.

Akinyemi also emphasised that state visits are significant international events that cannot be altered abruptly, particularly when involving major global powers such as the United Kingdom and the United States.

He further commended King Charles III for the reception accorded to Tinubu, describing it as a strong signal of Nigeria’s importance on the global stage, and urged Nigerians to focus on the broader diplomatic gains.