President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday met His Royal Majesty, King Charles III, at Buckingham palace to discuss Nigeria’s bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom.
In an interview after meeting the 73-year-old monarch, Buhari said King Charles III asked him whether he has a house in the UK or not.
“He (King Charles III) asked me whether I have a house here (in the UK), I said no. I live in Nigeria alone, the only house I have are those I have before I got into government and I am not very much interested in having houses all over the place. I feel much freer when I have nothing,” the President said.
On the purpose of his visit to the revered monarch, Buhari said Nigeria is a large market and it is only wise for the business relationship between the two countries to be nurtured.
“Firstly, we are to meet with the king in Kigali but unfortunately, the meeting was postponed. He is interested very much in Nigeria, maybe because of Nigeria’s relationship with Britain for long, our economic strength, I think we are still of great attachment to them,” he said.
Nigeria, formerly a Great Britain colony, attained independence on October 1, 1960, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II who died in September 2022 at the ripe age of 96.
Buhari said the current monarch, who was crowned king after the passing of his mother, “speaks very well of Nigeria and wants the relationship to continue and if possible improve”.
“Most economic, Nigerian businessmen and British men want to continue to work together. Let them make sure that the relationship is improved instead of being allowed to go down,” the President said.
Furthermore, the President said there is no going back on the planned redesign of the N1,000, N500 and N200 bank notes, adding that politicians won’t be allowed to mobilise resources and thugs to intimidate voters in the 2023 general elections.
He also said the policy announced by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele on October 26, 2022, has come to stay.
“No going back,” Buhari said of the decision to redesign the three naira notes.
“My aim is to make sure that Nigerians believe that we respect them as an administration.
“So, Nigerians should vote for whoever they like from whichever political party. Nobody will be allowed to mobilise resources and thugs to intimidate people in any constituency. That is what I want to go down in Nigerian history for as a leader.”
King Charles III had written to the Nigerian president, sympathising with him over the devastating floods that have killed hundreds and displaced millions in the West African nation.
Buhari travelled to London on October 31 for a “routine medical check-up”.
