Prince Harry, Meghan visit Nigeria

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have embarked on a visit to Nigeria on Friday, April 10th, 2024. The visit is part of Prince Harry’s ongoing advocacy for the Invictus Games, the sporting event he established to support wounded military veterans.

After touching down in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, the couple’s first stop was at a local school. They inaugurated an event focused on mental health for students. The students of Lightway Academy warmly welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan to the energetic beats of an Igbo ethnic drum and dance group.

Addressing the gathering, Prince Harry, emphasised the importance of mental health awareness, stating, “If you take anything away from today, just know that mental health affects every single person. The more you talk about it, the more you can kick stigma away.”

Meghan later joined him on stage before they proceeded to meet with Nigerian military commanders as part of their involvement in the Invictus program.

Prior to their Nigerian sojourn, Prince Harry was in London to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, sparking renewed speculation about a potential reconciliation with his family during his visits to the UK since relocating to the United States in 2020.

Prince Harry, a former army captain and helicopter pilot who served in Afghanistan, initiated the Invictus Games in 2014. Over the years, the event has grown in scope, significantly contributing to the rehabilitation of veterans through sports. Notably, last year saw former Nigerian soldier Peacemaker Azuegbulam, who lost his leg in combat, clinch a historic gold medal at the games held in Germany.

The Nigerian military announced that Prince Harry would participate in a sporting event in the capital and also journey to Kaduna in Nigeria’s northwest to visit a military hospital and engage with troops wounded in combat. Subsequently, he would proceed to Lagos, the country’s economic hub.

Nigeria’s military forces are currently engaged in multiple fronts against armed groups. In the northeast, a persistent jihadist insurgency has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced millions since its onset in 2009. Meanwhile, in the northwest and central regions, heavily armed criminal gangs, locally referred to as bandits, perpetrate mass kidnappings for ransom and terrorise villages from their remote forest hideouts.

Mimi Mefo Info