Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has been gifted traditional Hausa outfits by Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna state.
Harry and Meghan, his wife, arrived in Abuja on Friday to champion discussions around Nigeria’s possibility of hosting the Invictus Games.
The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event founded by Harry. It is aimed at rehabilitating wounded, injured, and ill servicemen and women — whether serving or veterans.
The 39-year-old 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.
The first engagement in the royals’ itinerary was an event hosted at a school in Abuja. Harry then embarked on a solo trip to Kaduna state, where he was received by Sani and other government officials.
The Kaduna State Governor, Sen. Uba Sani presents Prince Harry with gifts and adorns him in a traditional Hausa attire (Babbar Riga). pic.twitter.com/KL7WmmZzZ7
— Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) May 10, 2024
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In a now-viral video, Sani presented some gifts to Harry, including two paintings — one of him as a child with his late mother Princess Diana and another of him and Meghan on their royal wedding day in 2018.
His other gift was traditional Hausa attire which he needed help to wear.
Sani described Harry as a “symbol of courage” and asked him to “Please give our regards to the Duchess of Sussex, Princess Meghan”.
In his reply, Harry apologised to the governor for not coming with Meghan.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t bring my wife,” he said, adding that she had separate engagements scheduled in Abuja.
“The focus here in Kaduna is the wounded, injured and sick men and women who serve in Nigerian forces and keep people safe.”
Last year, Nigeria participated in 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.
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