IN Act II, Scene 5 of Twelfth Night, English playwright, William Shakespeare penned the immortal words: “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Shakespeare may not have directly alluded to Queen Elizabeth II or her monarchy when he put his fecund pen to work centuries earlier, but the import of those words, all combined, comes close to summarising the life and times of the Queen and her impact on the global order. It is what noting that at her passing on September 8, 2022, she had achieved the feat of serving as the longest reigning monarch in the history of the British monarchy. Little wonder, despite her advanced age of 96, there was an outpouring of grief in the United Kingdom, and many other British territories and dominions around the world.
Consequently, there was a deluge of glowing tributes from statesmen and leaders around the globe. In those glittering words of praises, world leaders extolled the Queen’s life of dedication and service, not only to the United Kingdom, but also to the Commonwealth nations and the entire world. President of the United States, Joe Biden aptly captured the mood in the international community when he described the seven decades of the Queen’s history-making reign as one which “bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity.” The US leader spoke the mind of many in eulogising the departed British monarch as one to whom people all around the world could feel a personal and immediate connection.
The level of influence the Queen wielded, even in countries which are former British colonies, would be gleaned from the condolence message of the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari. The Nigerian leader made the point that the story of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth ll. President Buhari praised the Queen for being a towering global personality and an outstanding leader who dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the entire world a better place.
Looking at the avalanche of warm and heartfelt words of tributes, which have followed the Queen’s exit, fundamental questions arise as to what specific developments happened during her reign to somewhat blunt the historic pains and violations, which colonialism inflicted on former British subjects. It is not like the angst and bitterness precipitated by colonial subjection and subjugation experienced on the watch of the British monarchy have disappeared altogether. However, as a constitutional monarch who can only be seen as Head of State, but should not be heard on policy issues, Queen Elizabeth appears to have deployed stoic silence, and behind-the-scene support of reforms to dull the pains of the historic injustices, which affected former colonial subjects.
The Queen ascended the throne in 1952 at the time of dramatic changes and upheavals; the empire, which British people believed was one “on which the sun will never set” had begun to dissolve. The British Empire at the height of its glory and power was made up of colonies, protectorates, dominions, and mandates administered by the United Kingdom. By 1913, the Empire had more than 412 million people. This, according to World Atlas was almost a quarter of the global population. Queen Elizabeth’s reign began at the point where in Africa and Asia, colonial subjection was being challenged by strident nationalists demanding self-government and independence. The British establishment was shrewd enough to grant independence to the restive colonies, while forging new forms of relations, which would impact the world order.
One way this was achieved was the creation of a voluntary political association known as the Commonwealth, which is today made up of 56 “independent and equal” countries. The association prides itself to be home to 2.5 billion people, “and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.”
One major theme, which has driven the association is that members have agreed to share goals like development, democracy and peace. These values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter. Under her monarchy, Britain and the Commonwealth experienced phenomenal growth in the level of diversity, as former colonial subjects threw away the vestiges of colonisation to seat on the table as near equals. Added to this is the massive level of cooperation among countries, which was facilitated by the Commonwealth. Her Majesty’s Government did a lot to bring the peoples of the Commonwealth together through areas of mutual cooperation.
Importantly, the opportunities presented for cultural, educational and economic cooperation have shifted international relations within the Commonwealth away from hardcore issues of realpolitik to areas of mutually beneficial interaction such as sports, education and cultural relations. Nigeria has been a big beneficiary of the cooperation which has been spearheaded by the Commonwealth. At the last Commonwealth Games for instance, Nigerian sportsmen and women made good use of the platform to win laurels, and compete against opponents from other parts of the world. Subsequently, there is the other development relating to growing diversity of the United Kingdom. Under Queen Elizabeth as Head of State, the United Kingdom has witnessed a lot more diversity, due to the concept of multiculturalism.
Nigerians took advantage of the opportunities presented by UK as a multicultural country open to immigrants. Many Nigerians emigrated to the United Kingdom, to become an integral part of British society. As things stand today, there are many Nigerians in the UK Parliament, just as there are others who have distinguished themselves and are holding their own in different spheres of British life. This level of closeness between Nigeria and the United Kingdom has seen the strengthening of bilateral ties over the years. Bilateral cooperation in such areas as security assistance, human rights and democracy promotion have been boosted through the activities of the Department for International Development, now known as the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office. The buildup of this bilateral relationship has been bolstered by the Queen’s visit to Nigeria, first in 1956 and then in 2003 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
However, though her reign began in the dying days of colonialism, the queen missed the opportunity, unlike some former colonisers, to express some sort of regret about the activities of her ancestors.
Notwithstanding the burden presented by the past, Queen Elizabeth was one world figure who captured the imagination of millions of Nigerians. Many such citizens would surely wish the revered, admired and well-respected monarch eternal repose as she goes on her final journey. And we do so, also, as her remains are interred later today in the King George VI Memorial Chapel inside the St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle; after a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey.
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