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Burns Night, Nigerian style

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By Fiona Reid
Front
Burns Night, Nigerian style

A MILITARY man from Dumfries has told how he raised a glass to Scotland’s national bard at a Burns Supper for 100 people in Nigeria.

Nigerian ‘clan elder’ Air Commodore Paul Warwick CBE, above left, celebrated poet Robert Burns at a diplomatic event hosted by officials from the British High Commission and the Department for International Development (DFID), based in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

The event was also celebrating over £300million of trade deals being signed between the UK and Nigeria at last week’s UK-Africa Investment Summit.

Guests from Nigeria, America, France, Canada, Finland, Germany and Spain joined the Scottish diplomats to toast Burns and enjoy haggis, shortbread and whisky, alongside Nigerian snacks.

Paul was guest of honour at the top table and said: “The temperature was 36 °C so wearing a full kilt was a big challenge owing to several pounds of fabric weighing you down in the West African heat. “The British High Commission in Nigeria has more than ten Scots across its ranks, who are always keen to showcase Scotland’s culture and share a dram. The ceilidh dancing ended at 4.30 am.

“Robert Burns was very much an internationalist, so I’m quite sure he would have approved of the UK-Africa Investment Summit helping deliver more investment, jobs and economic growth to benefit people and businesses across Nigeria and the UK.”

Front, Lockerbie and Lochmaben

09th Jan

Behind the scenes on new Lockerbie drama

By Fiona Reid | DNG24

Behind the scenes on new Lockerbie drama

A NEW series based on parts of the Lockerbie Disaster is now showing on Sky this week. Featuring Colin Firth and Catherine McCormack, ‘A Search for Truth’ was inspired by the memoirs of Dr Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the 1988 tragedy. Filming took place in Scotland and Morocco in early 2024 and Annandale Herald editor Fiona Reid went on the set to meet the cast and crew and find out more about it.

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