British journalist Kevin O’Sullivan has voiced disapproval of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, for their recent visit to Nigeria. O’Sullivan emphasized concerns about Nigeria’s societal issues, such as the prevalence of female genital mutilation, lack of women’s rights, and ongoing security challenges.
He questioned the decision of the royal couple to endorse Nigeria, highlighting the careful selection process of royal visits and suggesting that Nigeria doesn’t merit such recognition. O’Sullivan’s sentiments were echoed by royal correspondent Michael Cole, who described Nigeria as a dangerous destination due to security concerns and widespread fraudulent activities.
“The royal family doesn’t just go anywhere. These tours are planned years in advance and the countries that the royals honour with their visits are very carefully chosen.
“There’s no way our royal family would set foot in Nigeria, a country where female genital mutilation is rife; where women’s rights basically don’t exist; and where hundreds of kids are regularly kidnapped by extremist Islamic groups.
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“This is not a country that should be endorsed by anyone certainly not our royal family and these two are naive in what they’re doing. They’re making this country look good when it doesn’t deserve it,” the journalist said.
The criticism comes amidst the royal couple’s visit to Nigeria to support the Invictus Games, a tournament founded by Prince Harry for wounded soldiers. However, their decision to visit Nigeria has drawn scrutiny from British journalists and royal supporters alike, who question the wisdom of endorsing a country facing such complex challenges.
“I couldn’t tell you the number of royal tours that I’ve been on and what you say is absolutely right. Nigeria, the foreign office and the American State Department both say it’s a dangerous destination, you must not go there. It vies with Johannesburg, South Africa to be the murder capital of the continent.
“In that country, there’s industrial scale, volumes of people who are ripping off people around the world, internet fraud, wholesale internet fraud, defrauding old ladies, stealing identities and none of that is ever prosecuted,” Cole said.
Cole, a former BBC journalist, also said he was puzzled by Prince Harry’s actions to visit Nigeria, stating that they defy common sense and reason.