Okadigbo Bragged About Being The First Igbo Man To Sleep In Buckingham Palace – Isyaku

Elder statesman and Second Republic politician, Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim, on Friday has let out how former Senate President Chuba Okadigbo bragged about being the first Igbo man to sleep in Buckingham Palace during a state visit by President Shehu Shagari in 1981.

Ibrahim, who is in his 80s, spoke to Daily Trust Saturday in Abuja about the personal attributes of the late British monarch.

He said he had a personal contact with the Queen and the memory had continued to linger.

He said, “I received the death of the Queen with shock because I watched on television when she hosted the new British prime minister. It was not long thereafter that the queen was announced dead.”

The elder statesman said, “It (death of the queen) was shocking, particularly to me. I saw her with the new prime minister. I thought she would be around for some time, not knowing that she would be dead.

“You will like to know how I know many things about her. When Alhaji Shehu Shagari paid the first state visit to the United Kingdom, I had the opportunity to be among the few people in the entourage. But only about four officials were allowed to be with Shagari in the Buckingham Palace.

“There was Dr Umaru Dikko, who was the minister of transport. There was Dr Chuba Okadigbo, the political adviser to the president; and there was Idrisu Ibrahim Kuta, who was the deputy speaker.

“Shagari was well received, but some of us did not stay in the palace. I have my own house in London, and the late Shettima Ali Monguno was married to a Briton. Monguno and Shagari were close friends, both of them were teachers and both served under General Gowon when he was the head of state.

“Therefore, the queen decided to organise a brunch (meal between breakfast and lunch) for us because she knew Shagari came with a large delegation but were unable to stay in Buckingham Palace. She decided to honour us. She was very jovial. Shagari introduced all of us but added that Monguno was her in-law because he was married to a British woman.

“The queen then asked whether I was also her in-law but I smiled and said I was married to a Liberian. She smiled and described Nigerians as versatile people. She cracked jokes with us and everybody was happy.

“And in-between, Chuba Okadigbo and Idrisu Kuta decided to show us their rooms. Okadigbo said, ‘I am the first Igbo man to stay in Buckingham Palace.’ I saluted him. I was at the time working at the High Commission office, locally recruited. I was an assistant information officer after I graduated in Hanover, Germany, where the queen’s family came from. I met both the queen and her husband. They were jovial and good people; they liked to talk.”

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