…At King Charles Coronation
2 weeks back, King Charles III was crowned Britain’s 40th reigning monarch alongside his wife,Camilla, the Queen Consort, at Westminster Abbey in London . The King opted for a smaller, shorter and more diverse ceremony than the previous coronation held for his mother in 1953. This decision led to some people with Nigerian roots playing significant roles during the King’s coronation. It was an I mic event which birthday a new era for the Great Britain.
On a day of splendour and formality, featuring customs dating back more than 1,000 years, there are 6 Nigerians, 3 men and 3 women who are popular in UK who took part in King Charles’s coronation.They played a major and and significant role at the coronation.
Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu, born Elizabeth Mary Furlong is a 76 year old British nurse, health care administrator, lecturer, and Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London.
In 1998, by then a Professor of Nursing, Anionwu created the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice at the University of West London. She holds the Order of Merit, was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).[2] She retired in 2007, and in 2016 she published her memoirs, Mixed Blessings from a Cambridge Union.
She was part of the Royal procession at King Charles’s coronation. She was charged with the responsibility of carrying the Sovereignty Orb during the procession. The Orb symbolises both the state and the Church under the protection and the domain of the monarch.
In 1979, the daughter of Lawrence Anionwu of Onitsha, became the United Kingdom’s first sickle-cell and thalassemia nurse specialist, helping establish the Brent Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Counselling centre with consultant haematologist Milica Brozovic. She holds the Order of Merit, was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
She was born in Birmingham, England, to an Irish mother and a Nigerian father. Her mother, Mary Maureen Furlong, was in her second year studying classics at Newnham College, Cambridge University. Her father, Lawrence Odiatu Victor Anionwu, was studying law at Cambridge University.She was placed in a catholic children’s home where she was cared for by nuns, including several years in the Nazareth House convent in Birmingham.
Eva Omaghomi, British-Nigerian cultural anthropologist, was the Director of Community Engagement to King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and was considered by many on social media one of the best dressed females at the King’s coronation. She wore a complete Yoruba regalia for the ceremony. She served as Senior Strategic Advisor to The Prince’s Trust Global Group, managing global communications for over 50 countries, and receiving the Kindness in Leadership Award. She was also recognised as one of the “15 Ones to Watch” by New African Woman magazine and in 2017, was invested as a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) by Her Majesty The Queen.
The Entrepreneur, speaker, and author, Eva Omaghomi is a Nigerian who has had a big impact on business. She is an inspiration to many young people who are beginning their business journeys because of her perseverance, hard work, and dedication along her journey to success. Born and raised in Nigeria’s Delta State, Eva Omaghomi studied at the esteemed University of Lagos, where she received a Bachelor of Accounting degree.
Since then, Eva has started a number of other enterprises, including a network of fast-food restaurants, a real estate development firm, and a consultancy business. Additionally, she has expanded her commercial operations into other African nations like Ghana, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.
Eva is renowned for her creative business methods, and she has won various accolades for her contributions to Nigerian entrepreneurship. She was given the African Women in Leadership Award in 2019, and in 2017 Forbes Magazine named her one of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Africa.
Sir Kenneth Aphunezi Olisa was appointed the High Bailiff of the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey in 2021, and took part of the King’s coronation in that role. He is the first mixed heritage Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London and founded the AIM-listed technology merchant bank Interregnum and now leads Restoration Partners.
The 71 year old Olisa was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to homeless people in London, a Commander of the Order of St John in 2017 and a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to business and philanthropy.
He is a British businessman and philanthropist. He is the first mixed heritage Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London. He founded and led the AIM-listed technology merchant bank Interregnum and now leads Restoration Partners. Ken Olisa is Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and has served and serves on several boards of philanthropic, educational and regulator organisations. Sir Kenneth with his wife endowed the Olisa Library at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
Born in Nottingham in 1951 of a Nigerian father and a British mother, Olisa was educated at Nottingham High Pavement Grammar School and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he held a scholarship and studied Natural Sciences and then Social, Political and Management Sciences. His technology career began in the 1970s at IBM. Olisa married Julia Sherwood in Cambridge in 1976.
Olisa was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to homeless people in London, a Commander of the Order of St John in 2017 and a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to business and philanthropy.] Olisa was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London on 29 May 2015.
Rev Tosin Oladipo was appointed the chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury in May 2021. He was responsible for carrying the staff of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at King Charles’s coronation.
He is responsible for developing Archbishop Justin’s priority of prayer and the religious life, particularly through the community of St Anselm. Tosin has previously served as part of the leadership team at ‘SAINT’, a resource church in East London, with specific responsibility for outreach, prayer, and the development of interns and ordinands.
He has overseen community engagement and the revitalisation of St Mary’s Leyton, as part of a partnership between Chelmsford and London dioceses. He was also responsible for the work of the Lighthouse project, which has distributed over 300,000 meals to less privileged people since the start of the pandemic.The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has appointed the Revd Tosin Oladipo as his new Chaplain.
Tosin, who is currently a parish priest in East London, serves as chaplain to Archbishop Justin and the Lambeth Palace Community. He also has responsibility for developing Archbishop Justin’s priority of prayer and the Religious life, particularly through the Community of St Anselm. For the last three years, Tosin has served as part of the leadership team at SAINT, a resource church in East London, with specific responsibility for outreach, prayer, and the development of interns and ordinands. He has overseen community engagement and the revitalisation of St Mary’s Leyton, as part of a partnership between Chelmsford and London dioceses. He has also been responsible for the work of the Lighthouse project, which has distributed over 300,000 meals to those in need since the start of the pandemic.
Alongside this, Tosin has led the prayer life of the church, which in the last year has included developing a digital ‘Rule of Life’: a creative and liturgical space to help sustain its community through the pandemic.Before training for ministry, Tosin worked for 15 years in digital and video tech start-ups. He is married to Angela, a mental health professional.
Ade Adelekan is the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police who led the operation, known as Golden Orb at the King’s coronation at Westminster Abbey. The operation, which was one of the most significant and largest security deployments the force has led, had more than 29,000 police officers deployed during the coronation period. Ade Adelekan is the Security and Aviation Commander in The Metropolitan Police’s Aviation and Security Specialist Operations unit. The Operational Command Unit (OCU) works to protect and police airports and keep people safe from threats, including terrorism.
Nigerian music star Tiwa Savage made history Sunday evening when she performed at the coronation concert of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle in England.
It was the first time a Nigerian artiste would perform at the royal coronation. Tiwa, thrilling over 20,000 people at the event and over 18 million global online viewers rendered ‘Keys to the Kingdom’, a song she recorded with Mr Eazi and featured on Beyoncé’s album “The Lion King’’ released in July 2019.
Angelic songstress and influential entertainer, Tiwa Savage is indeed an icon that never stops. The world class singer keeps rising and rising on the biggest stage. Rated as one of Africa’s wealthiest and influential singers, all her albums are always topping music charts.
Tiwa Savage has always been in the news for her hit songs.She is obviously one of their own in England as she spent most of her childhood in London. Tiwa Savage studied business administration at the University of Kents. She also has a degree in music from the Berklee College of Music.
-TAYO OYEDIJI
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