Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, alongside Meghan, his wife, have arrived in Abuja to champion discussions around Nigeria’s possibility of hosting the Invictus Games.
The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event founded by Harry, and is aimed at rehabilitating wounded, injured, and ill servicemen and women — whether serving or veterans.
The prince had founded the games to offer service members the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics, after he served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner.
Last year, Nigeria participated at the games for the first time. The country was the only African representative at the event, swooping gold and bronze medals along the way.
Harry’s decision to visit Nigeria was based on an invitation from the defence headquarters (DHQ), authorities said last month.
The couple arrived in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, on Friday, according to Charlie Gipson, their spokesperson.
During their stay, the royals will attend basketball and volleyball matches and will meet with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Abuja and Lagos.
Meghan will also co-host an event on ‘Women in Leadership’ with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The military said the Invictus Games could help the recovery of thousands of its personnel who have been fighting the Boko Haram terrorists and their factions since 2009.
The DHQ had said Mohammed Baduru, minister of defence, who was at the event in Germany last year, is keen on playing host should Nigeria get the nod.
