The coronation of England’s monarch, King Charles III, and his wife, Queen Camilla held at the weekend amid glitz and glamour at Westminster Abbey, England.
He was crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
King Charles ascended the throne on September 8, 2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Different Heads of State were also in attendance.
At the coronation, some Nigerians were the cynosure of all eyes. Also, some others actively played key roles at the event.
Here are some of the Nigerians who caught the attention of many during the event:
EVA OMAGHOMI
Eva Omaghomi appeared stunning with her attire at the coronation, although she was not the only Nigerian woman in attendance, her sterling appearance got many people talking.
Omaghomi has worked for King Charles and Queen Camilla when he was the Prince of Wales and she was the Duchess of Cornwall for 13 years. She is the longest staff of the duo, and also their longest black staff.
She’s also 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.
Omaghomi was also recognized 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.
PROF. DAME ELIZABETH ANIONWU
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu is a nurse, professor and medical scholar. She was UK’s first nurse to specialise in the care of sickle cell patients. 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 is the daughter of the late Lawrence Anionwu of Onitsha, the first Permanent Secretary in Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1960-1963. He was also Nigerias first Ambassador to Italy & the Vatican, 1964-‘67.
Lawrence Anionwu died in 1980 in UK and was buried in Nigeria.
Dame Anionwu 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.
REV. TOSIN OLADIPO
Rev. Oladipo 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.
Oladipo 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.
Oladipo 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.
SIR KENNETH APHUNEZI OLISA, OBE
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.
72-year-old Ken Olisa, hails from Onitsha.
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.
PASTOR AGU IRUKWU
Pastor Agu Irukwu of Jesus House, UK was also on the officiating list to represent the churches in England.
Last year, Buckingham Palace named Irukwu among officiating ministers at the funeral of Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
Irukwu is the senior pastor of Jesus House, United Kingdom. He stepped down as the chairman of UK RCCG in April 2021.
He also ceased from being the chairman of the board of trustees and executive council of the RCCG in the UK and the deputy continental overseer of the church in Europe.
He told the RCCG that the decision to step down from the position was personal
A graduate of the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, Irukwu was an investment banker prior to his decision to go into full-time Christian ministry.
He is the son of Prof Joe Irukwu, a foremost insurance expert. He is married to Pastor Shola Irukwu.
ADE ADELEKAN
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.
He is 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.
JAMES NUMBERE
James Numbere is a Nigerian from Buguma, Asari-Toru LGA, in Rivers State.
He was part of the “Ascension Choir” that sang at the Coronation.
He also performed at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration in 2022.
TIWA SAVAGE
Music star Tiwa Savage made history Sunday evening when she performed at the coronation concert.
It was the first time a Nigerian artiste would perform at the royal coronation and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Tiwa, who thrilled the audience with her beautiful voice, 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