Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England currently on a state visit to Nigeria has paid a visit to Nasarawa State where she was treated to the best of Nigerian culture and rural life. Receiving the British Monarch at the Karu Local Government Headquarters venue of the ceremony, Governor Adamu recalled the time when as a ten year-old primary school pupil in 1956, he was among hundreds of young boys and girls drawn from the twelve provinces in the then Northern Region to welcome Her Royal Majesty to Kaduna on her first official visit to Nigeria. According to Governor Adamu, “I have treasured that sweet memory for 47 years. It was a lucky day for me as it certainly was for other boys and girls who participated in the welcoming ceremony.”

The occasion, which also featured the launching of the BBC World Service Trust drama series titled “Voices”, was considered one of the most spectacular events to have taken place in the history of Nasarawa state. Nasarawa state is the only state to be visited by the Queen on her current visit to Nigeria in connection with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting being hosted by Nigeria. The visit to Nasarawa state put the state in the eyes of the International Community and was an opportunity for the state to showcase the state’s rich diversity. And visitors were not disappointed.

The visit drew a lot of people for the International community and civil society organizations, as well as high-ranking government and political leaders in the state. In addition, there were a lot of people ranging from artisans and craftsmen who provided a wonderful mixture of the high and low in society.