Re: Immediate Request to Cancel the Proposed State Visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria Your Majesty, I write this letter with the respect due to the Crown, but also with urgency, seriousness, and moral clarity. My name is Kio Amachree. I am a Nigerian political scientist and a citizen whose family history is deeply woven into the constitutional and political foundation of Nigeria.
My grandfather was Chief Sekin Amachree, a historic Kalabari leader whose name remains well known in the Niger Delta and within the broader story of Nigeria’s early political development. My late father, Chief Godfrey Kio JaJa Amachree, QC, was not only Nigeria’s first Solicitor-General and Acting Attorney-General, but also served at international level as Africa’s first Under-Secretary-General. He was a statesman of the highest calibre and a man whose public service was rooted in integrity, discipline, and duty.
I was educated at Eton College between 1970 and 1975, and I remain closely connected to the United Kingdom. During my years at Eton I formed a close and lasting friendship with Sir Nicholas Coleridge, now Provost of Eton College, who was a good friend to me during my time at the school. Sir Nicholas is well known to Your Majesty and is part of the British establishment at the highest level. I mention this for one reason only: I am not writing from the outside. I am writing from within the network of history, relationships, and serious national interest that connects Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
This matter is grave. Your Majesty, I respectfully but firmly request that you cancel or immediately postpone any state visit, formal invitation, or ceremonial reception involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria.
1. Nigeria Is Not Stable: A State Visit Is a Strategic and Security Error Nigeria today is a nation close to rupture. The country faces:
• terrorism and insurgency
• kidnappings and mass killings
• banditry and organised criminal violence
• collapsing confidence in democratic institutions
• severe economic hardship and inflation
• deepening ethnic and regional tensions Nigeria is divided to a level approaching national fracture. Under these circumstances, a state visit in London would not be diplomacy. It would be denial.
2. Tinubu’s Credibility Is Under Serious Question President Tinubu is not viewed by millions of Nigerians as a legitimate national unifier. His presidency is surrounded by major public controversy, including:
• long-standing allegations of corruption
• persistent questions about financial history and political funding
• accusations of institutional capture
• widespread doubt over his academic claims, biography, and personal records
• the growing belief that Nigeria is being run by a political cartel rather than democratic leadership A state visit would be interpreted as Britain giving him credibility. That would be a historic mistake.
3. Nigeria’s Democracy Is in Danger Nigeria is approaching the 2027 election cycle with fear and distrust. Many Nigerians believe powerful forces intend to manipulate the electoral process again, pushing the country toward political unrest and potential collapse. To host President Tinubu at the highest ceremonial level would send a message that Britain is indifferent to the erosion of Nigerian democracy. It would be seen as endorsement of electoral fraud.
4. The Optics Are Morally Offensive Millions of Nigerians are suffering:
• hunger and inflation
• unemployment and despair
• insecurity that has become routine
• families destroyed by violence and kidnappings To invite Tinubu to drink champagne in Britain while Nigerians are slaughtered and the nation collapses economically would be interpreted as a cruel insult. It will fuel anger across Nigeria.
5. The Crown Must Not Be Used as Political Propaganda Your Majesty, Tinubu’s government will use any royal photographs as propaganda. They will present the visit as proof that:
• Britain supports his presidency
• international scrutiny is finished
• Nigerian citizens must accept his authority
• critics and reformers are irrelevant This will strengthen corruption and impunity.
6. The Commonwealth Must Stand for Principles If the Commonwealth is to remain meaningful, it must represent:
• rule of law
• democratic legitimacy
• accountability
• moral seriousness Inviting a leader surrounded by corruption allegations and legitimacy crisis undermines those principles.
CONCLUSION: CANCEL OR POSTPONE THE VISIT
Your Majesty, I respectfully request the following:
1. Cancel or postpone any state visit or formal royal reception involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
2. Cite national security concerns, democratic instability, and governance credibility as justification.
3. Encourage Nigeria toward genuine reform and transparent electoral accountability. Nigeria is too close to breaking point for Britain to provide symbolic legitimacy to a controversial leader. I repeat: I am not writing as a random voice. I am writing as a man known in Britain, educated at Eton, and personally connected to senior figures of British public life, including Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Provost of Eton College, who is well known to Your Majesty. This is serious. Nigeria is on the edge. Do not allow the British Crown to be used as a shield for corruption and democratic sabotage.
History will remember what was done at this moment. Respectfully, Kio Amachree Stockholm, Sweden
