The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were on a three-day trip to Nigeria, participating in a couple of engagements centred around their core passions: the Invictus Games (an international multi-sports event for injured servicemen and women – both serving and veterans), mental health awareness, and women’s empowerment.
Friday, Abuja and Kaduna…
Landing in Abuja on May 10th, the couple immediately kicked off their outing to Lightway Academy and were received with a warm welcome from the students and staff. After a tour of the school and interactions with the students, they discussed mental health with the kindergarteners and played with them. Partnering with their Archewell Foundation, they participated in a mental health summit organized by the GEANCO Foundation, emphasising the importance of mental well-being for youth and teens.
Their visit to the academy concluded with gifts of books about Nigerian heritage.
Next, Prince Harry travelled to Kaduna state, where he met with the governor, Uba Sani, and was welcomed with dances from a troupe and a red carpet. At the State House, Uba praised the Duke’s service to the country, describing him as a “symbol of courage.”
He then visited the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in northern Kaduna, meeting with around 50 courageous soldiers across wards recuperating from their injuries. He stopped to listen to their service stories and sacrifices and wished them a speedy recovery. “Two of the men he had seen at last year’s Invictus Games, and their smiles were a reminder of what they’d seen was possible post-injury,” a Sussex report stated.
Joined by the chief medical director, Col NS Onuchukwu, he also toured the hospital’s facilities, “designed to help wounded servicemen and women recover after injury, the hospital includes a leading physiotherapy gym and a high-tech prosthetics lab which offers state of the art replacements to those who have lost limbs.”
Prince Harry received a traditional Hausa attire and two framed photos, one of himself with his wife, and the other of him with his mother, Princess Diana.
Saturday, Abuja…
After Kaduna, Prince Harry returned to Abuja for a sitting volleyball game with army veterans put together by the country’s chief of defence staff, while Meghan watched from the courtside.
Meanwhile, Meghan co-hosted a “Women in Leadership” discussion with World Trade Organisation director-general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Moderated by media personality, Mo Abudu, the discussion explored challenges women leaders face. Wearing a red ruffled hem dress by Nigerian designer Oríré, Meghan addressed 50 women from various sectors and emphasised the importance of mentorship and role models for young girls.
In the evening, the couple attended a reception for military families at the Nigerian Army officers’ mess. In his speech, Prince Harry spoke about his visit to the hospital and the inspiring stories of recovery, “What this proved to me, what this reminds me of, is the power of seeing what is possible post-injury,” he said.
Sunday, Lagos…
Arriving in Lagos for the final leg of their visit, Prince Harry and Meghan were greeted by a dance troupe. Then they met with the governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who praised their work on mental health awareness in the military.
“We are, indeed, happy for what they are doing, especially for our military men, on the conversation around mental health issues and how they can galvanise their various NGOs to ensure that people who require their support, both in the military and private, can seek that support. Mental health issues are all around us. Denial and stigmatisation, are some of the things we talked about,” the governor said.
Later, they visited Ilupeju Grammar School to unveil a partnership between Archewell Foundation and Giants of Africa, an organisation that empowers African youth through basketball, education and mentorship. Through the partnership, Giants of Africa will be able to expand programming to include an additional adaptive court and accessible sport for the community of Abuja.
At another event, the couple met with three prominent traditional rulers, the Obi of Onitsha, his Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi and the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III.
Their Nigerian adventure concluded with a cultural reception in Lagos and a fundraising polo match for “Nigeria: Unconquered.”
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