The Presidency has supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s current state visit to Saint Lucia, asserting that critics of the visit are “misguided, mischievous, and uninformed.”
It emphasized that the trip is a significant and strategic endeavor, grounded in the deep ancestral, diplomatic, economic, and cultural connections between Nigeria and the Caribbean.
According to the statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the Nigerian leader’s visit presents an opportunity to revive ancestral ties and open a new chapter of diplomatic, cultural, and economic collaboration between the two countries.
This visit marks President Tinubu as the first Nigerian leader to make a state visit to Saint Lucia, an island nation in the West Indies, with a population of 179,285.
The economy of Saint Lucia is heavily reliant on tourism and agriculture, particularly banana exports. Moreover, Saint Lucia is part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Regarding democracy, the visit enhances the relationship between Nigeria and Saint Lucia, both of which are democratic nations with stable parliamentary frameworks. A Saint Lucian commentator, during a live broadcast on the National Television Network (NTN), referred to President Tinubu as “a fighter for democracy” due to his pro-democracy efforts during Nigeria’s military rule.
In terms of development, President Tinubu’s interactions with institutions like Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, as well as the deployment of Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC) personnel, demonstrate a strong commitment to educational and technical partnership.
On the diaspora front, the visit reinforces the African Union’s Sixth Region Initiative, which sees the African diaspora as a vital development ally.
The statement further highlighted that Nigeria promotes cultural exchange by collaborating in education, culture, and heritage preservation.
The increasing influence of Afrobeats, Nollywood, and Nigerian literature in Saint Lucia—visible in local events such as the Gros Islet Street Party—reflects Nigeria’s growing soft power in the Caribbean, according to the Presidency.
