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Arsenal, Barcelona Femeni and Everton have wished Nigerians a happy Independence Day.


https://mobile.twitter.com/Everton/status/1178947932873199616

https://mobile.twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1179013488909438978

https://mobile.twitter.com/AsisatOshoala/status/1179023110001090560

deavicky:
504 was once our presidential car. Even without AC now see the same 504 today. Almost no value. We should learn not worry ourselves over anything because what matters today may not matter tomorrow.

1) The 504 was air conditioned.

2) The choice of the 504 was quite deliberate. It was used to project an air of humility.

General Gowon was fond of using many Mercedes Benz stretch limousines and very long motorcades. This was one of the things that turned the people against him. His wife, Victoria Gowon, also used stretch limousines and his deputy, Admiral Wey had a Daimler as his official car.

When Murtala Muhammad came to power, he banned other government officials, including the first lady, from using stretch limousines. Only the head of state used a stretch limousine. Furthermore, Murtala Muhammad did not use any motorcade. It was only his car without any escorts or sirens. That was why it was easy for his assassins to shoot him dead in the middle of a traffic jam.

General Obasanjo used a Peugeot 504 as his everyday car, but he also used Mercedes Benz cars for special occasions, for example, when he was receiving visiting heads of state.

In this video, President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia visited Nigeria and General Obasanjo went to welcome him at the airport. You can see that both heads of state were about to get into an S Class Mercedes Benz, but Colonel Joseph Garba ushered them into a Mercedes 600 instead. That 600 was Nigeria's number one state car for a long time.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUhfL8rYAgQ

President Shehu Shagari revived the use of stretch limousines and S Class Mercedes. General Buhari used a Volkswagen Santana as his everyday car and a Mercedes S Class for special occasions. General Babangida used a 504 as his official car from 1985-1988, when he brought back the 600 that you see in the video above.

Chuks9000:
This are so different now. Remembered the parachute challenge in the late 80's in Abuja.

Yes, I remember that. It was in 1987. I remember President Babangida pointing out the parachutists to Maryam. That was the year that Babangida wore the uniform of an air chief marshal.

I remembered those parachutists a year later, during the 1988 African Nations Cup (Maroc '88).

Moroccan troops parachuted into the stadium during the opening ceremony, but one of them became stuck in the air when his parachute became entangled with a floodlight tower.

I knew that I'd forget something. I forgot to write about the children's parties.


General Gowon staged children's parties at Dodan Barracks, while Maryam Babangida staged children's parties at State House Marina.


Mrs Babangida's children's parties were often shown live on the NTA and many established child stars performed at the event; while some new stars were also discovered at the event.

Tosin Jegede was a regular performer at Mrs Babangida's children's parties.

1973 Independence day speech

"Of particular importance is the progress which we have continued to make with the implementation of our policy of increasing our control over the strategic sectors of our economy as well as encouraging indigenous ownership of business generally. The Federal Government now holds 40 per cent of the equity shares in the three major expatriate commercial banks and has its appointees serving on their Boards of Directors. Further, negotiations which have been in progress and aimed at securing Government participation in the existing oil companies and their concessions have been concluded successfully. As a result, the Federal Government now holds at least thirty-five per cent of the equity shares in each of the oil companies operating in the country.

With effect from tomorrow, 2nd October, 1973, the Nigerian Bank of Commerce and Industry will open business to members of the public. The Bank, as you know, aims at providing equity capital and funds by way of loans to indigenous persons, institutions and organisations for medium and long term investments in industry and commence.

These past few years have witnessed erratic weather conditions all over the world. Scanty rainfalls in the Savannah Region stretching across North Africa, Central Asia and Latin America have caused the worst drought in these areas in recent history. Parts of Nigeria, especially the northern districts of the North-Western, North-Central, Kano and North-Eastern States have been badly affected. It would like to seize this opportunity to express the deep concern of the federal Government about the plight of the people in all the affected areas.

To provide immediate succour to the people in the areas affected by the drought, the Federal Government has made grants totalling 12-million Naira (16.4 million sterling) to the four states gravely affected, partly for the purchase of foodstuffs and livestock feeds to augment whatever is available locally and partly to improve water supply facilities by the provision of bore holes."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bSzWoP4CUA

1975 video

There was no national Independence Day parade in 1975. Brigadier Murtala Muhammad ordered a low key celebration. However, states were encouraged to have parades at which school children marched. This is the Lagos State parade at the National Stadium, Surulere.

The video begins with a view of the crowd outside the main bowl of the stadium.

Then we see the Lagos State governor, Navy Captain Adekunle Lawal, delivering his speech. While Governor Lawal is reading his speech, we also see the NBC cameraman and a cross section of the spectators, including white cap chiefs.

Finally we see the school children as they march past the governor. I can recognise Methodist Girls High School, St Gregory’s College Ikoyi and Igbobi College Yaba.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqwhw8nnHEw

1971 video

We see the Nigeria Police Mounted Troop escorting the state car (a W108 Mercedes Benz S Class) into the arena. General and Mrs Gowon alight from the car. We see General Gowon and Kam Selem walking towards the saluting dais.

Then we see General Gowon reviewing the troops from the back of an open top Land Rover. And then we see the troops marching past. Reviewing the troops on the saluting dais are General Gowon (who was promoted from the rank of major general to general on that day), Rear Admiral Nelson Soroh (who was promoted to the rank of rear admiral on this day), Alhaji Kam Selem, Major General David Ejoor and other senior military officers.

We see policemen marching past and then fighter planes flying overhead. Then we see a cross section of the crowd watching the parade. We see Mrs Victoria Gowon and then the Lagos State Governor Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson. Then we see the federal commissioner (minister) for information and labour, Chief Anthony Enahoro. Finally, we get another view of the audience.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-0042HPq5k

1974 video
The video begins with a street scene. We see a banner on the street that reads, “Happy 14th year anniversary”. Then we see the Tafawa Balewa Square. We can see Western House in the background. The Nigerian Police Mounted Troop escort the state car into the venue. The horses’ hooves kick up too much dust, so I can’t tell for sure if the car is the iconic w100 Mercedes Benz 600 (the number 1 state car) or if it was a W108 S Class. Judging from the length of the car, I think it’s the 600 limousine.

Then we see a cross section of the members of the public who are watching the parade.

Next we see General Gowon in the uniform of an admiral. Behind him is the chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters, Vice Admiral Wey. They are both climbing up the stairs to the saluting dais.

Then we see the troops marching past. Then we see General Gowon, Admiral Wey and General Ejoor on the saluting dais. We next see policemen marching past and then it’s the turn of school children to march past the saluting dais. We also see some foreigners in the audience who are taking pictures.

We see the parade commander and then there’s a loss of sound as the 21 gun salute is fired. There’s still no sound as we see naval ratings give three cheers to the head of state. Finally we see the officers on the saluting dais.

It was on this day that General Gowon made a major mistake. He had previously promised that he would hand over to a civilian government in 1976. However, in his Independence Day speech in 1974, he said that the 1976 handover date was no longer feasible. Many soldiers were tired of military rule. They were tired of being involved in government and they wanted to return to purely military duties. After this speech, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Joseph Garba and Abdullahi Mohammed started plotting to overthrow General Gowon. They staged their coup in July 1975 and handed over to Murtala Muhammad, Olusegun Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma, who announced that they would hand over to a civilian government in 1979.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRO77ON2nkY

1978 video

This video begins with a view of Tinubu Square. You can see an LSTC bus as it passes the old fountain at the square.


Then it cuts to the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS). We see the mounted police escorting the head of state into the arena. These are mounted policemen from the Ribadu Road Mounted Troop Barracks, just a short distance from Dodan Barracks.

The state car, a Peugeot 504, comes to a halt and the head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo exits the car.


General Obasanjo walks past Colonel Mamman Vatsa (who was the commander of the Brigade of Guards at the time) and greets Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua (chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters), Lieutenant General T.Y. Danjuma (chief of army staff), Vice Admiral Michael Adelanwa (chief of naval staff), Air Vice Marshal John Yisa Doko (chief of air staff), Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu (inspector general of police) and Navy Captain Ebitu Ukiwe (governor of Lagos State).

Then we see General Obasanjo reviewing the parade. They didn't show my favourite parts - the armoured vehicles and the planes and helicopters.

Then they show the head of state leaving the arena, escorted by the police mounted troop.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LogDLtVf38

Independence Day celebrations of the 1970s and 1980s (Videos and Memories).

Decorations, horses and fighter planes
Usually, almost a week before October 1st, there would be flags and buntings on Awolowo Road all the way to Tafawa Balewa Square and on the other side of the neighbourhood, there would also be flags, balloons and buntings from Obalende Road, through Moloney Street and then to Catholic Mission Street (beside Tafawa Balewa Square).

I was always torn between going outside to see whether the mounted police escorted the president all the way from Ribadu Road to Tafawa Balewa Square or watching the arrival sequence on TV. I always ended up watching it on TV. I was never quite sure if the mounted police escorted the president all the way from their barracks on Ribadu Road or whether, as a soldier on parade told me, they only escorted him from outside the arena into the arena.

My Favourite part of the parade began from the 21 gun salute onwards. I would usually go and stand in the doorway and I’d usually hear the explosion from the artillery guns on TV first and then in real life. It took longer for the sound to travel directly to me than it did for me to hear it on TV. Then, immediately after the gun salute, I’d see the fighter jets on TV and I’d go outside to see two fighter jets and two attack helicopters flying over Five Cowrie Creek. There’s usually green and white smoke trailing the jets. Someone told me that they used to threw toys from the helicopters once upon a time, but I don’t know if that’s true.

I also loved watching the various armoured vehicles as they rolled past. There was a particular year that I felt sorry for President Shagari. I was wondering how he was able to stand at the saluting dais for such a long time. Almost at the same time, my mum asked how the president was able to cope with the noise from all the armoured vehicles that were going past.

Taiwo Obileye and Dame Julie Coker
My favourite Independence Day commentators on the NTA were Taiwo Obileye and Julie Coker.

Taiwo Obileye was absolutely wonderful. He would tell you the name of the parade commander and the name of the parade commander’s horse. He would also tell you the number of times that the horse has taken part in these kind of parade and explain that that’s why the horse was still when the 21 gun salute was fired and when the armoured vehicles and fighter jets went past. Taiwo Obileye’s diction was absolutely flawless and it was a joy to listen to him.

I was in love with Julie Coker and so I watched anything that she presented. She was a perfect professional.

Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki

I remembered Taiwo Obileye during one of the Independence Day parades in the early 2000s. That’s because the parade commander’s horse nearly threw him off and bolted when the 21 gun salute was being fired. The horse was frightened. Then the NTA showed Obasanjo and Mbeki and they were both laughing at the parade commander. I wonder why they didn’t use a horse that had experienced that kind of frightening noise before. None of the horses in the 1970s and ‘80s panicked like that.

The crazy people
It was also quite interesting to see the various schools that were marching past. C1982 (or was it 1981) a particular group of crazy students (who shall not be named) displayed a particular brand of madness while they were right in front of President Shagari. Schools usually try to put on a unique display when they get in front of the president, but that one was just insane (and you won’t believe the things they told me afterwards).

Nigeria is 25!
President Babangida usually staged a “Command Performance” on the night before Independence Day (September 30th). This was usually a dinner at which the major entertainment acts in Nigeria at the time would perform. I remember that the cast of the New Masquerade performed a couple of times, as did the cast of Samanja (it was said that Samanja was General Babangida’s favourite TV show).

A lot of activities were lined up for Nigeria’s 25th anniversary celebrations in 1985. Famous singer, Bongos Ikue, wrote the lyrics of a television jingle. It went

♪Nigeria is 25
The odds we did survive
Arise salute the nation
Come join the celebration
A people united will never fall
***********************
Nigeria is 25!
Nigeria is 25!
Nigeria is 25! ♫

* = forgotten lyrics.

President Babangida wanted the most famous comedian in Nigeria at that time, John Chukwu, to host the command performance, but JC had gone to his village on holiday, so President Babangida had to send the presidential jet to pick him up and bring him to Lagos.

I remember that the NTA showed a (pre=recorded) variety show that morning and there were lots of stars on the show. I remember that Veno Marioghae was on the show as well as Samanja. I remember it because all the guests were made to sing along to a song that was composed for the anniversary (I think the song was by Veno). My aunt laughed heartily when Samanja sang his part. She couldn’t believe that Samanja could sing.


1986 Independence Day Drama.

The usual arrival sequence on Independence Day during the military era was,

1) The service chiefs and the inspector general of police (they received the general salute)

2) The minister of defence & chairman joint chiefs of staff (he received the general salute)

3) The chief of staff Supreme Headquarters/chief of general staff (he received the national salute. The first 4 lines of the anthem)

4) The president/head of state and commander in chief (he received the national salute. The full anthem).

This was also the order of precedence at national events.

However, there was a coup on August 27th, 1985 which created a strange arrangement.

1) The president was Major General Ibrahim Babangida.

2) The chief of general staff was Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe

3) The minister of defence and chairman joint chiefs of staff was Major General Domkat Bali

4) The service chiefs were Major General Sani Abacha (chief of army staff), Rear Admiral Augustus Aikhomu (chief of naval staff) and Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Alfa (chief of air staff).

The question was, how can a commodore (one star general) be the chief of general staff (military vice president) when the minister of defence and service chiefs were two star generals? This was a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, General Bali was actually President Babangida’s senior and Admiral Aikhomu had been the chief of naval staff in Buhari’s administration when Ukiwe was just the flag officer commanding the Western Naval Command!

Well, the answer was that Ukiwe served in the Biafran Navy during the Civil War and therefore he lost a round of promotion. He could have also been a two star general if the Civil War had not happened.

Anyway, these issues came to a head ahead of the 1986 Independence Day parade. It was decided that Commodore Ukiwe should arrive the arena before the service chiefs. Commodore Ukiwe was not happy about this, so he did not attend the parade.

This is exactly the way I remember it. There were sirens and a motorcade arrived. The commentator said, “. . .the sirens heralding the arrival of the chief of general staff”. I looked through the window of the car and I could see a white naval uniform, so I naturally assumed that it was Ukiwe, but it was not. It was actually President Babangida and he was dressed in the uniform of an admiral! Ukiwe did not attend the parade at all!

Later that day, I heard that Ukiwe had been placed on house arrest. It was later announced that he had been retired from service. Four days later it was announced that Rear Admiral Aikhomu was the new chief of general staff and Rear Admiral Patrick Koshoni was the new chief of naval staff.

The next year, on October 1st, 1987, President Babangida promoted himself to a four star general, Aikhomu was promoted to a vice admiral (three star), Bali was promoted to a lieutenant general (three star), while the service chiefs were left as two star generals.

Abuja

The first national Independence Day parade that was held in Abuja was held during the Shagari era. This was sometime between 1981 and 1983. The Akinola Aguda Lodge was hurriedly built to serve as the presidential residence during the celebration. The old Parade Ground was also built at this time.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/10316218_abujadecorated1982independencemaitama_jpegce44aa645378022579f7502ee7167789
22nd anniversary decoration in Abuja.

President Babangida also staged the 1986 and 1987 Independence Day parades in Abuja. The Nicon Noga Hilton Hotel was built for the 1987 Command Performance, which was staged in the Congress Hall of the hotel.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/10316217_1987nicon_jpeg4bd2ac0d20e0ee09ccab4de442224aa6
Nicon Noga Hilton Hotel in 1987.


No Parades

The 1987 Independence Day parade was the last national Independence Day parade for a long time. There was no parade in 1988 and in fact, no parade was staged until 2000. My brother said that President Babangida was afraid that he would be killed in the same way that Anwar Sadat was killed.

Tonnyray:
The entire script came from the West all the same. IBB was their poster boy robot of conformity to execute those evil debilitating policies that benefited the colonial masters alone. They naturally would give him a rousing welcome.

I'm not referring to who did what. I'm referring to the timing. SAP was already in full flow by 1989 and the masses were already feeling the biting effects and this led to the 1988, 1989 and 1992 riots (SAP started in 1986).

evanstical:
This was when the sold him the idea of devaluing our currency.

This visit occurred in 1989. The Naira had already been devalued (remember that SAP started in 1986 and that the first SAP riot was in 1988, the second was in 1989 and the third was in 1992).

I forgot to mention this.

There are different kinds of trips that heads of state make.

1) A state visit is a ceremonial visit. It includes things like 21 gun salute, inspection of troops, state banquets, etc.

2) A working visit is a business visit. There's very little ceremony during a working visit.

In the UK, a head of state that pays a state visit is a guest of the Queen, while a head of state or head of government that pays a working visit is a guest of the prime minister.

3) A stopover visit is a very short visit that occurs usually when they need to refuel a head of state's plane. The visiting head of state usually does not leave the airport.


4) A general summit or general assembly occurs when many heads of state meet. The ceremonies are often reduced because of the sheer number of heads of state that are present.

The sale of the tanks became controversial. Sometime around 1993, I listened to a question posed by a Labour member of Parliament to the British Prime Minister, John Major about those tanks. He asked how a Conservative government could have sold tanks to a military dictatorship in Nigeria and whether the prime minister was aware that those tanks were used to subvert democracy in a coup (I assume that he was referring to the 1992 SAP riots and the 1993 June 12 riots).

President Shehu Shagari’s state visit to the UK in 1981.

This is an ITN News report.

The video begins with a royal procession into the banquet hall for the state banquet. The Queen and President Shagari are ushered into the hall. Behind them is Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh and behind Prince Philip is Archbishop Robert Runcie and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Next in line are Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Then we see the president arriving Victoria Station on the royal train (this was much earlier of course). We see Nigerian officials, including the legendary Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule. The President and the Queen board the royal coach and we hear the commander of the guards give the order for a royal salute, but we do not hear the anthems. Instead we see the procession as it is already underway.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUb2yg-h3s

General Yakubu Gowon’s state visit to the UK in 1973 (video)

We see General Gowon exit the train from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station. He salutes and shakes hands with the Queen. Mrs Victoria Gowon curtseys to the Queen. General Gowon and Prince Philip exchange salutes. They are both in uniform. Then General Gowon salutes and shakes hands with Princess Margaret (the Queen’s sister). Then we see senior military officers and lords spiritual and temporal and the Duke of Kent. Then the Queen and General Gowon exit Victoria Station. There is a large group of Nigerians in the distance and General Gowon waves to them as he exits the station and they wave their Nigerian flags.

General Gowon and the Queen board the carriage outside the station and we can see a guard of honour on the other side of the street. The guards render a royal salute as the carriage starts moving. Don’t be confused by the tune, that’s Nigeria’s former anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee”. There’s another group of Nigerians on the roadside and General Gowon waves to them as the carriage goes past.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poQEZ-WGjI0

President Ibrahim Babangida and Mrs Maryam Babangida departed Lagos on Tuesday, May 9th, 1989 at the start of their state visit to the UK. They were seen off at the Murtala Muhammad Airport by the chief of general staff, Vice Admiral Augustus Aikhomu and Mrs Rebecca Aikhomu. In the delegation were the minister of foreign affairs, Alhaji Rilwanu Lukman, the minister of information and culture, Prince Tony Momoh and the minister of finance, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji (Tripple A).

Mrs Babangida was pregnant with Halima at this time. In fact (if I remember correctly), this was her first major public engagement after it was announced that she was pregnant.

General and Mrs Babangida arrived Stanstead Airport later that day and they were welcomed by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Christopher Collet and his wife. The president and Mrs Babangida then boarded the royal train to Victoria Station where members of the Royal Family were waiting to receive them.

President and Mrs Babangida arrived Victoria Station and the President shook hands with the Queen and Mrs Babangida curtsied and shook hands with the Queen. The Queen and Prince Philip then introduced members of the Royal Family to President and Mrs Babangida. Officers and men of the Household Division of the British Army then rendered the royal salute (Arise O Compatriots and then God Save The Queen) as officers and men of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery gave a 41 gun salute at Hyde Park. President Babangida then inspected the troops.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/british-royalty-at-victoria-station-for-the-arrival-of-president-ibrahim-babangida-victoria-london-britain-may-1989-shutterstock-editorial-158163a.jpg?w=584[/img]
The Queen and Princess Diana, waiting at Victoria Station for the arrival of President and Mrs Babangida

http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/nigerian-president-ibrahim-babangida-state-visit-to-london-britain-may-1989-shutterstock-editorial-158194b.jpg?w=584
Princess Diana and Princess Margaret (the Queen’s daughter in law and the Queen’s sister), waiting at Victoria Station for the arrival of President and Mrs Babangida.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/2348131_image_jpeg9f360c5ab7736510df54c882e9dbf188.jpg?w=584[/img]
Queen Elizabeth introduces Princess Diana to President Babangida.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/prince-charles-and-princess-diana-nigerian-president-ibrahim-babangida-state-visit-to-london-britain-may-1989.jpg?w=584[/img]
Royal salute. Prince Charles and Princess Diana stand at attention.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/w_1200.jpg?w=584[/img]
41 gun salute by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Hyde Park. This is from an unrelated event. A 21 gun salute is fired for a head of state. An extra 20 guns are added because it’s being fired from a royal park.

Two of the ADCs that were on duty during this trip have very interesting stories. President Babangida’s ADC was Lieutenant Colonel Usman Kakanda (UK) Bello, who died on Ikoyi Road during the Orkar Coup less than a year later. One of the Queen’s equerries at this occasion was Commander Timothy Laurence. Love letters that Commander Laurence wrote to the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne (the Princess Royal) were stolen from Buckingham Palace and published in the Sun Newspaper (the newspaper did not reveal who the author was). The Princess Royal’s marriage to Commander Mark Philips was rumoured to be in trouble at the time. Commander Timothy Laurence eventually married the Princess Royal and he eventually retired from the navy after attaining the rank of Vice Admiral and being knighted by the Queen.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/gettyimages-830965782-2048x2048.jpg?w=584[/img]
The Queen’s equerry (ADC), Commander Timothy Laurence, on duty during the state visit of President Babangida to the United Kingdom in 1989.

Troops from the British Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Marines had earlier lined the streets from Victoria Station to Buckingham Palace and there were British and Nigerian flags all along the Mall.

The Queen, President Babangida, members of the Royal Family and members of President Babangida’s entourage then got into carriages for the start of the royal procession. President Babangida and the Queen were in a carriage; Prince Philip and Maryam Babangida were in another carriage, Babangida’s ministers were in another carriage and members of the Royal Family were also in carriages for the procession to Buckingham Palace.

My sister expressed surprise that the carriage did not collapse under the weight of Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, the Nigerian minister of finance. If you know Triple A, you would know that he was a rotund man and so my sister thought that the carriage would not be able to withstand his weight.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/img-20180831-wa0002.jpg?w=584[/img]

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/politics-state-visit-to-britain-president-babangida-buckingham-palace-g7cnyx.jpg?w=584[/img]

Video: The video begins with the royal salute at Victoria Station (Arise O Compatriots). I told someone that that was the best rendition of the anthem that I had ever heard. You can see the troops presenting arms and President Babangida and the Queen in front of them. Behind the President and the Queen are Prince Philip and Maryam Babangida and behind them are the President’s ADC and the Queen’s equerry. Other members of the Royal Family are to the left of the video.

Then we see the procession. The crowd cheers as the royal carriage goes by. The streets are lined with troops and they render royal salutes as the carriage passes by. Finally the carriage arrives Buckingham Palace and the President and the Queen disembark and stand in front of the doors, facing the photographers.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ifwt83pJwA

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/politics-state-visit-to-britain-president-babangida-buckingham-palace-g7cp03.jpg?w=584[/img]

The NTA had a new news programme called NewsLine and the visit was covered in special editions of NewsLine that were shown even though it was not a Sunday. NewsLine was hosted by Yinka Craig and Patrick Oke at the time and I couldn’t tell if they were in Lagos or London. The backdrop was the Mall and I didn’t know if it was a video screen, an actual window or if it was done using computer effects. They showed the arrival ceremonies and the procession to Buckingham Palace. They also showed highlights of the state banquet the next day.

The Queen hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace that night in honour of President Babangida. The Queen conferred the honour of Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (KGCB) on President Babangida, while the president awarded the honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the Queen. The president and the Queen also exchanged toasts.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/may-9-banquet-buckingham.png?w=584[/img]
Prince Charles, Princess Diana and other members of the Royal Family at the state banquet in honour of President Babangida at Buckingham Palace.

President Babangida visited Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at 10 Downing Street, where they discussed the second batch of tanks to be sold to Nigeria, aid, Nigeria’s debts, apartheid in South Africa and other issues. The President also inspected the guards at Whitehall.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/politics-state-visit-to-britain-president-babangida-10-downing-street-g7cnyy.jpg?w=584[/img]
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ibrahim Babangida at 10 Downing Street in 1989.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/2lt7feu8.jpg?w=584[/img]

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/politics-state-visit-to-britain-president-babangida-whitehall-london-g7cnyw.jpg?w=584[/img]
President Babangida inspecting the guards at Whitehall.

The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Christopher Collet, hosted a banquet at Guildhall in honour of President Babangida on May 10.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/politics-state-visit-to-britain-president-babangida-guildhall-london-g7cnyr.jpg?w=584[/img]
President Babangida proposing a toast during the banquet at Guildhall.

President Babangida hosted a banquet at Claridges Hotel in honour of the Queen on May 11. You can see the President and the Queen wearing their KGCB and GCFR sashes respectively.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/be0y9vxn.jpg?w=584[/img]
President and Mrs Babangida at Claridges Hotel for the banquet that they hosted in honour of the Queen.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/diana-claridges-may-11.jpg?w=584[/img]
Princess Diana arrives Claridges Hotel for the banquet that was hosted by President Ibrahim Babangida.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/dc4ii88w4aipkbe.jpg?w=584[/img]

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/dc4ii8-waaam1jn.jpg?w=584[/img]

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/dc4ii89x4aanefl.jpg?w=584[/img]

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/ee70d8ade5e28eb2de9c07c8efa658d9.jpg?w=584[/img]
President and Mrs Babangida welcome Princess Diana to Claridges Hotel.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/politics-state-visit-to-britain-president-babangida-claridges-london-g7cnyp.jpg?w=584[/img]
President Babangida and Queen Elizabeth at the banquet given by President Babangida in honour of Queen Elizabeth.

The president also met with some Nigerians living in the UK. This was at the Nigerian High Commission. If I remember correctly, some Nigerians planned to stage a protest at the event, but they were not successful. Mrs Babangida also had some engagements on her own during the visit, but I can’t remember what they were.

President and Mrs Babangida returned to Nigeria on May 12th, 1989.
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/babangida-goodbye-queen-buckingham.jpg?w=584[/img]
Queen Elizabeth saying farewell to President Babangida on May 12th, 1989.

President Ibrahim Babangida’s State Visit To Britain In 1989 (Photos, Video and Memories)

There have been 3 state visits by Nigerian heads of state to the United Kingdom. The first state visit occurred in June 1973, when General Yakubu Gowon paid a state visit, the second was in March 1981 when President Shagari visited and the last state visit was in May 1989, when General Ibrahim Babangida paid a 4-day state visit to Great Britain. The third visit is the subject of this thread.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/nigeria-house-1.jpg?w=584[/img]

Relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom had been poor during the administration of General Muhammadu Buhari. The Nigerian Government attempted to kidnap the former Nigerian minister of transport, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, who had been accused of corruption and whom Britain refused to extradite to Nigeria, in 1984. Britain subsequently detained a Nigerian Airways plane at Stanstead Airport and Nigeria detained a British Caledonian Airways plane at the Murtala Muhammad Airport in Lagos. The standoff lasted for 2 days. These incidents greatly damaged relations between the British Government and the administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari.

Relations greatly improved when General Ibrahim Babangida took over. The British company, Vickers-Armstrong, developed a main battle tank that they hoped to sell to the British Army. The tank was called the Vickers MK3. However, the British Army chose to go with the Challenger Tank Project and the British Government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was assisting Vickers to search for buyers. Nigeria was one of the biggest buyers of the tank. Over 136 Vickers MK Eagle tanks were delivered to Nigeria between 1985 and 1995, in a deal that was struck between Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ibrahim Babangida.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2019/09/nigeria-house-2.jpg?w=584[/img]

Mrs Thatcher visited Nigeria in January 1988. Students of the University of Ife and members of the Nigerian Labour Congress protested during her visit because Mrs Thatcher had called Nelson Mandela a terrorist, because she was close to Pieter Botha (the hated prime minister of South Africa) and also because of her support for IMF policies in Nigeria.

President Ibrahim Babangida paid a state visit to Britain in 1989 and Mrs Thatcher paid a stopover visit to Lagos in March of that same year. Prince Philip also visited Nigeria that year and he laid the foundation stone of the Muson Centre in Onikan during the visit.

Finally, Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited Nigeria in 1990 (you can see my thread about the Prince and Princess’ visit here https://www.nairaland.com/2424327/prince-charles-princess-diana-nigeria ).

The pictures on this thread are from Gregnwoko.com (http://www.gregnwoko.com/1989-05-09-diana-greets-president-ibrahim-babangida-of-nigeria-at-victoria-station-while-the-queen-looks-on/), Alamy pictures (https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-politics-state-visit-to-britain-president-babangida-buckingham-palace-107845465.html), Getty Images and Shutterstock.

So who will I discuss politics with now?

Who will bombard my Whatsapp with PDP propaganda??

We've been friends for 34 years and we've been discussing politics since the day you came to my house in 1992 or early '93 and I told you that Abacha would be our next head of state.

Who will ask me about my health??

Who will I go on long walks with

Who will I reminisce with? Who will understand?

Righteousness89:
You are one being a villain here...

What did i say that is wrong?

Or u wanna keep Decieving your self?

Open your Mind bro! You shall know the Truth and it will set u Free

Ask yourself an honest question. You don't need to reply me, but think about it in your mind. Do you think you are bringing people closer to Christ by being antagonistic, confrontational and judgemental or do you think that you are chasing them away from Christ?

orunmila144:
how is he a supermod and he has only spent 9 days and 21 hours online ?

He had two accounts (check the links on the first post). He used the Publisher account before he became a supermod and after her resigned and he used the Real Mr Stan account when he was a mod.