Prince Charles to meet members of Nigerian armed forces and youths as part of his peace mission

PRINCE Charles intends to meet with Nigerian youths and members of the armed forces as part of his three-day visit to the country in what is being described as an ambitious programme to facilitate peace in the country.

Yesterday, prince Charles arrived in Nigeria and met with notable Nigerian traditional rulers in Abuja on the first of his three-day visit. Some of the monarchs at the meeting include Ooni of Ife Oba Enitan Ogunwusi,  Sultan of Sokoto Saad Abubakar, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, Obi of Onitsha Igwe Achebe, Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yayaya Abubakar, Oba of Benin Ewuare and Shehu of Borno Abubakar Ibn El Kanemi.

After meeting them, Prince Charles, who is accompanied by his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, then went to the presidential villa for a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari. Later today, he will also hold talks with some youths, the Nigerian business community, the armed forces and people from the arts and fashion sectors.

Prince Charles, 69, will also engage in peace-building activities, including addressing the persistent attacks of herdsmen on farming communities in Nigeria. He is also expected to discuss practical solutions to alleviating the tensions, arising from the activities of herdsmen.

It is believed that some of these matters were raised with President Buhari, although details of the discussions were not made public by presidency officials. After receiving the prince, President Buhari introduced him to some members of his cabinet and presidential aides before going into their closed door meeting.

Prince Charles has made three previous official visits to Nigeria in 1990, 1999 and 2006, although this is the first time his wife is visiting. Originally, Prince Charles had been scheduled to visit Jos too but the trip to the Plateau State capital was cancelled due to recent violence in the city that has seen repeated communal clashes over recent weeks.