Meet Nigerians who participates in King Charles 111 Coronation
The coronation of Charles III was quite a deliberately inclusive event.
But beyond that, a number of British-Nigerians were fairly closely involved in the ceremonies by virtue of their positions.
Here are some of them.
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, a nurse, professor & medical scholar. She was UK’s first nurse to specialise in the care of sickle cell patients.
She is the daughter of a Nigerian late Lawrence Anionwu of Onitsha, first Perm Sec in Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1960-1963 and also Nigerias first Ambassador to Italy & the Vatican, 1964-‘67, & a British mother, Mary Furlong, born in 1947.
Lawrence Anionwu died in 1980 in UK; buried in Nigeria.
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu was part of the peers that bore the royal insignias into the abbey sanctuary.
Eva Omaghomi.
She’s Charles’s Director of Community Engagement from when he was still Prince of Wales.
Eva Omaghomi.
She’s Charles’s Director of Community Engagement from when he was still Prince of Wales.
Prior to that, she worked with him at The Prince’s Trust and Clarence House.
She was originally a civil servant with the Greater London Authority.
Prior to that, she worked with him at The Prince’s Trust and Clarence House.
She was originally a civil servant with the Greater London Authority.
She’s worked with the King for the past 15 yrs from when he was prince.
Not known if she will be carrying on in her present community engagement role or would be given another.
She was present basically as a senior aide of the King and did not play any role in the ceremonies.
Rev. Tosin Oladipo.
Tosin is the Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He’s also the chaplain at Lambeth Palace chapel and at the community of St Anselm at Lambeth Palace.
Tosin entered the priesthood after a successful career in IT.
He is the son of Rev. Emmanuel Oladipo who spent most of his career for the gospel in Northern Nigeria.
The senior Oladipo was later appointed Secretary General of the Scripture Union worldwide.
Tosin was there in the normal course of his duties, and integral to proceedings
Sir Kenneth Aphunezi Olisa, OBE
Nothing of consequence happens in Westminster Abbey without Sir Kenneth’s ceremonial presence.
In todays coronation he was just a member of the welcome party and was there in his role as the High Bailiff of the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey.
The High Bailiff is rather honorific with largely ceremonial roles in the Abbey.
He is also the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London ie. the kings personal representative in the City.
72 year old Ken Olisa is born of a Nigerian father from Onitsha.
Peaches Golding. (Lois Patricia Hauser.)
To be sure, she’s African American with no direct Nigerian heritage.
She’s a denizen of 1970s Ibadan & English teacher at Loyola College.
She’s now Lord Lieutenant of Bristol.
In Ibadan, she met & married the Bristolian, Bob Golding.
Bob was at the time Manager of the University of Ibadan Zoo. He died at 80 in 2022.
They settled in Bristol at the end of Bob’s 16 year ‘stint’ in Ibadan.
She was present at the ceremony in her role as Lord Lieutenant of Bristol.
