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Claim: Liberian President William V.S. Tubman was the only African President to meet the Queen of England-Dr. Syrulwa Somah on OK FM
Verdict: False. Historical records confirm that Queen Elizabeth II met numerous African leaders during her 70-year reign, not only President Tubman of Liberia.
Full Text
In a recent edition of OK Conversation, Dr. Syrulwa Somah made a striking claim: Liberia’s President William V.S. Tubman was “the only African President to meet the Queen of England.”
Dr Somah emphasised Liberia’s historical influence on the African continent, highlighting its founding role in the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He lamented that, despite these contributions, the headquarters of these institutions were not in Liberia.
He asserted that Tubman’s meeting with the Queen of England was further evidence of Liberia’s exceptional status on the continent.
He made the exact claim at 2:21:46 seconds into the Radio show, which lasted almost three hours. He did not respond to several text messages requesting information about his claim.
However, DUBAWA has examined this claim and found it to be inaccurate.
Verification
Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne in 1952 and remained monarch until her passing in 2022 – a reign that spanned seven decades and included over 21 visits to Africa.
Indeed, President Tubman met with Queen Elizabeth II in 1962 during an official visit to the United Kingdom. He was welcomed with full diplomatic honours, and his trip was widely covered at the time. However, as Dr. Somah claimed, he was not the only African leader to have met the Queen.
Historical records and news archives confirm that Queen Elizabeth II also met the following:
- Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana (on multiple occasions)
- Jomo Kenyatta and later Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya
- Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, and Jacob Zuma of South Africa
- Haile Selassie of Ethiopia
- Nnamdi Azikiwe and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria
- Seretse Khama of Botswana
Queen Elizabeth also made official visits to more than a dozen African nations, often meeting heads of state and participating in state functions.
Conclusion
The claim made by Dr. Syrulwa Somah that President William V.S. Tubman was the only African President to meet the Queen of England is false. Evidence shows that the Queen engaged with numerous African leaders during her reign.
