The coming together of leaders from different parts of the globe to celebrate the life of late Queen Elizabeth II and attend her funeral is a show of solidarity and goodwill by people from around the world, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on Monday.
Professor Osinbajo, who spoke in London during a chat with journalists after attending the state funeral service of the late Queen of England at Westminster Abbey, believes it is also a testament to the brotherhood of nations.
“For countries like ours, for Nigeria and for the Commonwealth, this has been very ennobling, very strengthening,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande.
“I am sure that King Charles felt not just the honour of having so many people come by, but also the reassurance that there is a brotherhood across the world and that the Commonwealth remains strong, a Commonwealth of free nations who willingly subscribe to coming together, to work together to achieve sometimes disparate political objectives but clear economic objectives.”
the Funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London, UK. September 19, 2022.
On the significance of the event, Professor Osinbajo said, “it is a historic event and one that is unlikely to happen, perhaps in another lifetime, just the sheer enormity of all that has happened and the gathering of leaders from everywhere, the goodwill, the good wishes, and all of that from practically everywhere around the world.”
“So, I think that this has truly been a testament to the sort of person the queen was – in life and death, brought people together and perhaps even more so in death,” he added.
A Stabilising Force
The Vice President then prayed for a successful reign for King Charles lll, noting that “one wishes King Charles very well indeed, and I think we are all anxious that he succeeds.
“And that he perhaps does even better than his mother, which is the hope of his mum. I am sure that the queen will really hope that all her successors and in this case King Charles, will do better than she did.
“We are all looking forward to a wonderful reign, a reign that will bring prosperity, peace, not just to England, but to the Commonwealth and to all of us.”
Professor Osinbajo also spoke about the late British monarch, whom he earlier described as a monarch for all seasons.
For him, in the 70 years that she was queen, it is obvious that through practically every cycle – war, peace, economic decline, apartheid, all the various cycles, – where truly major things were going on, she held her own, and she was always able to bring a certain degree of understanding.
“In so many ways, she was a factor in practically all of the various cycles that we have experienced, not just in the Commonwealth, but in the world itself. I think she was a stabilising force, that was why I thought the description (borrowed from “the man for all seasons”) that she was the queen for all seasons.”
Right after the funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the Vice President and all the foreign dignitaries – about 500 – were hosted to a reception by the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, Mr James Cleverly.
The queen’s funeral procession then proceeded to Windsor Castle where she would be laid to rest, passing through selected streets in London.
