Nigeria, UK leaders strengthen ties on climate, commonwealth goals

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria met with King Charles III of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace in London to discuss key bilateral and global issues.

The meeting on Wednesday, September 11, which was requested by King Charles, highlighted the strong and enduring partnership between Nigeria and the UK.

It came ahead of two major international summits - the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa.

According to a statement from the Nigerian president's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu and King Charles focused on climate change as "the urgent and complex challenge" facing the world.

"Both leaders discussed global and regional matters of shared priority, focusing on the urgent and complex challenge of climate change," the statement reads in part.

On the climate issue, President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to curb emissions and transition to greener energy sources.

However, he stressed the need to consider each nation's energy security needs and adopt globally inclusive strategies.

"President Tinubu reiterated Nigeria's firm commitment to addressing climate change in a manner that aligns with the country's energy security objectives whilst affirming Nigeria's readiness to adopt global strategies for sustainability," the statement said.

The talks also explored ways to deepen UK-Nigeria cooperation on climate financing.

The leaders further expressed mutual keenness to leverage Nigeria's pan-African and Commonwealth stature.

"During their dialogue, the two leaders shared ideas for innovative approaches to climate financing and funding, expressing mutual interest in strengthening partnerships by harnessing Nigeria's leadership position in Africa and the Commonwealth," the Nigerian statement concluded.