Britain's foreign secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, arrived in Lagos on Tuesday (13 February) to start a four-day visit to Nigeria.

Sir Alec was to have talks with Nigerian Foreign Minister Okoi Arikpo, and with Head of State General Yakubu Gowon. Officials with Sir Alec say it's certain that Britain's role in the Rhodesian-Zambian border crisis will also come under scrutiny in these discussions.

At the airport, Sir Alec gave a brief address, in which he said that Nigeria had a growing role to play in African and world affairs. He said that Nigeria could also play an important role in the Commonwealth.

His visit to Nigeria ended a week-long tour of West Africa which took him to Senegal and Liberia.

SYNOPSIS: Britain's Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, arrived in Lagos on Tuesday to spend four days with Nigerian officials.

Nigeria's Foreign Minister, Dr. Okoi Arikpo, was at the airport with Britain's High Commissioner in Lagos, Sir Cyril Pickard, as Sir Alec stepped down from his Royal Air Force Comet.

In a brief address at the airport, Sir Alec said that Nigeria had always held a special place in British eyes, and there were strong professional, cultural and commercial links between the two countries. He said that since he'd last visited Nigeria, it had successfully come through a difficult period in its history.

A crowd armed with welcome banners was at the airport to greet Sir Alec. His visit to Nigeria ended seven days in West africa, during which he visited Senegal and Liberia. He leaves for home on Saturday morning.