Prince Harry and his spouse, Meghan Markle, are scheduled to visit Nigeria on May 10, 2024.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are coming to Nigeria at the invitation of Gen. Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff.
According to Abidemi Marquis, the Director of Sports at Defence Headquarters, Harry, the founder of Invictus Games, will spend three days in Nigeria to meet and speak with wounded soldiers and their families.
The visit, set for May 10-13, 2024, aims to support the recovery efforts of the wounded soldiers.
This visit follows Nigeria's first participation in Harry's 2023 Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The couple will also visit the wounded soldiers at the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna State.
Following their hospital visit, a novelty match will take place between the CDS team and the Duke team at the armed forces Officers’ Mess on Saturday.
Marquis mentioned, “We have observed that 80% of our soldiers participating in this recovery program are experiencing positive changes. This engagement with Invictus provides an opportunity for the recovery of our soldiers.”
He also noted that Nigeria is eager to host an Invictus games, hence the visit.
Marquis stressed the need to develop a state-of-the-art facility for managing the wounded and injured soldiers, especially those dealing with post-traumatic syndrome and stress due to their involvement in counter-insurgency operations.
Harry and Meghan will also engage with Governors Uba Sani and Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Kaduna and Lagos states, respectively.
Marquis stated, “They will be arriving here tomorrow and will receive a quiet reception due to their 14-hour journey. They will then be taken to the hotel.”
After resting at the hotel, the couple will return to visit the Chief of Defence Staff around noon the following day.
The sports director at DHQ said the couple will also visit a place supported by their NGO, Wuse Light Academy.
The couple will then proceed to Kaduna to visit the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital to meet with the wounded and injured soldiers undergoing medical recovery.
On Saturday, there will be a novelty volleyball match between the CDS team and the Duke team at the armed forces officers’ mess in the morning to engage with the wounded and injured soldiers.
Following the match, there will be a reception at 1 p.m. where they will interact with families of wounded and injured soldiers, as well as families of soldiers and officers who have lost their lives in action. After the reception, they will return to the hotel.
“On Sunday, we have a program in Lagos. They will visit the governor of Lagos State and they also have a non-governmental organization. They have been supporting Lagos for a while, and we are going there. They constructed a basketball court for the school in Lagos. So they will also be going there. And there will be a basketball exhibition match, with 20 minutes and 30 minutes of playtime.
“After that, they will go to the governor’s place. Then, there will be a reception for them in Lagos. After we finish that, we will return to Abuja, and they will leave Nigeria on Monday morning,” the statement added.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are scheduled to visit Nigeria on Friday, May 10, 2024. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are coming to Nigeria as guests of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa. The Director of Sports at Defence Headquarters, Abidemi Marquis, mentioned that Harry, who is the founder of the Invictus Games, […]
