Barring any last-minute changes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are scheduled to arrive in Nigeria on Friday, May 9, for a 3-day private visit.
Harry and Meghan are visiting Nigeria on the invitation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa to interact with wounded soldiers.
Director Sports, Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis made this known on Thursday.
Marquis said that Harry, the founder of Invictus Games will spend three days in Nigeria, interacting with wounded soldiers and their families.
The DHQ sports director noted that the visit slated from 10th to 13th May 2024 will help the wounded soldiers in their recovery efforts.
“We realised that 80% of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme, they are getting better. Their outlook to life is positive,”
AVM Marquis said.
He added that the visit will help their injured troops in their recovery “to improve their personal self-esteem to improve their mental health. Their emotional intelligence has been improved and also their families seeing them, as they used to be breadwinners who are capable of continuing living. So this engagement with Invictus is giving us the opportunity for the recovery for our soldiers.”
“So, to be specific, now, they will be arriving here tomorrow (Friday) and they will be received, and the reception will be a quiet reception because they will be traveling 14 hours to get to this place. They will be taken to the hotel,” AVM Marquis added.
He said after resting at the hotel, the couple will return to visit the Chief of Defence Staff by 12 noon on Friday.
The Director added that Prince Harry and wife would visit their own Wuse Light Academy, an institution supported by their non-governmental organization before seeing Nigeria’s security chief.
Subsequently, they will proceed to Kaduna State to visit the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital where the wounded and injured soldiers are kept for their medical recovery.
“On Saturday, we’ll be having like an exhibition of novelty match. The CDS team and the Duke team will be having a volleyball match at armed forces officers mess in the morning. And this is just to engage with the wounded and injured soldiers. It’s a sitting volleyball match coming in the morning.
“So after that, we have a programme for them by 01:00 pm. A reception, where they will be interacting with families of wounded and injured soldiers and families of soldiers and officers killed in action and service members generally,
” the Director said.
On Sunday, AVM Marquis said the couple will pay a courtesy visit on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, and also visit a basketball court for the school their NGO is supporting in Lagos where a basketball exhibition Match will be held.
A reception is also expected to be organised for the couple on Sunday before returning to Abuja in preparation for their departure from the country on Monday.
