Prince Charles to address farmers-herdsmen crisis during visit to Nigeria

Paul Arkwright, British high commissioner to Nigeria, says Prince Charles, eldest son of British monarch, Elizabeth II, would be visiting the country to engage in peace-building activities.

Arkwright said Charles would address the clashes between farmers and herders in the country.

The prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, duchess of Cornwall, are expected in Nigeria from November 6 to November 8.

He last visited the country in 2006.

“People do want to come together and if we can provide that kind of environment then hopefully, we can come up with some ideas and solutions to resolving some of these conflicts,” Arkwright said.

“Some of the issues like the farmers/herders crisis are deep-rooted and are about the economy, land resource, climate change and cultural issues.

“The Prince of Wales will be looking at the causes, talking to people who are working in this area and together, seeing if we can find solutions and move on.”

Arkwright said that addressing the root causes of conflicts would lead to a peaceful and more prosperous country and also become beneficial to the relations between Nigeria and Britain.

He added that the visit was also aimed at strengthening the existing ties between both Commonwealth countries.

Charles took over as the head of the 53-member Commonwealth of Nations last April, succeeding Elizabeth II.

“Prince Charles has not been here since the past 12 years. 2006 was the last time he was here and the Duchess of Cornwall, has never been to Nigeria. So it is about strengthening ties, particularly people-to-people ties,” he said.

“We want to ensure that through the Commonwealth, which is another theme of the prince’s visit, we develop links to develop relationships whether in trade, environment or in education, all of which are important to the future of the Commonwealth and to the future of Nigeria.”

“Prince Charles will be talking about rural livelihoods, agriculture, the environment, some of the passions that he has which is so relevant to Nigeria today and to young people and the importance of getting young people into jobs.

“One of his passions as well is how do we build the skills of young people so that they will be equipped for the world.

“There is a whole range of interests that he has and I think Nigeria is a wonderful place to come to because it brings together all of these interests.”