By Faith Odu-
Prince Charles and the Dutchess of Cornwall arrived in the capital city, Abuja, earlier today after it was they were forced to pull out of an engagement in the city of Jos because of violent attacks in he city.
The Prince of Wales and his wife were met by President Muhammad Buhari at the Presidential House Villa where they attended a reception with the British High Commissioner Paul Arkwright.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are due to visit charities in Abuja later this week where they will hear about efforts to integrate communities in Nigeria’s plateau state. Clashes between nomadic Muslim cattle herders and Christian farmers scuppered their visit to the disappointment of Prince Charles.
Charles is expected to engage in peace-building activities including addressing the farmers/herders clashes.
The visit, it was reliably gathered was aimed at strengthening the ties between Nigeria and the Britain as members of the Commonwealth. The Prince was forced to cancel a trip to Jos on the final day of his royal tour of West Africa, to undertake engagements including a discussion about peace building and conflict resolution in the conflict-ridden region. Plans for the Prince’s visits were moved to Abuja, Nigeria, to allow him to speak to local people about their rural livelihoods and attend a service of commemoration.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “Due to operational constraints beyond our control, we have decided at this time not to include Jos during their royal highnesses’ visit to Nigeria.
“We are delighted to have an exciting programme of activity in Abuja and Lagos which will showcase those issues close to the Prince’s and the Duchess’s hearts. The decision was taken upon advice from the Nigerian Government and others involved in security and operational aspects of the visit.”