14th September, 2022
Ms. Catriona Liang, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, said the United Kingdom (UK) still views Nigeria as a top ally and priority in many areas of shared interest.
She stated this while reflecting on the life of the late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, at a press briefing in Abuja.
Even though Nigeria and Britain have long-standing diplomatic ties, Liang claimed that the Queen always held a special place in her heart for Nigeria.
“The strength of the relationship between us and Nigeria, for me, one of the absolute foundations was because of the Queen in her role as being the head of the state for a while and her role as head of the Commonwealth and now passed to her son. When I did my credentials to her in my last diplomatic assignment to Nigeria,
“She mentioned her love for Africa and love of the commonwealth and she mentioned her two visits to Nigeria in 1953 for twenty days, visiting all over the country for the first time and in 2003, for the commonwealth head of government gathering.
“King Charles III, the then prince of Wales, I assure us he follows Nigeria closely and will continue to maintain the interest and affection for Nigeria, as the biggest and most important country in Africa.
“The Queen, the King and the entire family have seen the role Nigeria plays as significant and important. Her visit has inspired the amazing spirit of the people of Nigeria, it’s been very helpful to me to have that strong bond. She was passionate about Africa and the Commonwealth generally, but personally, I think Nigeria had a special place in her heart.
“She took her responsibility very seriously, since the transition from the empire to the Commonwealth. She invested a huge amount of leadership and positive energy in creating the commonwealth family.
“We see the success of the commonwealth because people are beginning to join the Commonwealth, that’s the club that is successful and is growing from strength to strength, Her leadership has brought nations together across Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific and the coast of Australia”, she added.
Speaking of the new King, Liang said King Charles III remains committed to addressing the issue of climate change, the same as the Queen did.
“One of the things she was passionate about is the environment and climate change, the King was aware of it and has identified the importance of protecting the environment.
“King Charles is also very passionate about the environment, that’s the area of focus as we head towards COP27, we will continue to strengthen our relationship. And other areas are the history of the Commonwealth. He had to modernise the commonwealth to engage the youth and know what they want”, Liang said.