The Presidency has refuted insinuations making the rounds that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu went to Saint Lucia for vocation, saying the trip is aimed at rekindling ancestral bonds, igniting a new era of diplomatic, cultural, and economic possibilities between the two countries.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the clarification became necessary “In the wake of some Nigerians’ misguided, mischievous, and uninformed comments regarding President Bola Tinubu’s historic state visit to Saint Lucia.”
The Presidential spokesman said the visit by the Nigerian leader “paves the way for the rekindling of our ancestral bonds, igniting a new era of diplomatic, cultural, and economic possibilities between our nations.”
He explained that, like many Caribbean nations, Saint Lucia has a significant population of African ancestry, adding that “In the mid-19th century, a wave of immigrants from present-day Nigeria arrived in Saint Lucia, bringing cultural and religious practices that persist today.“Citizens of Saint Lucia are excited that President Tinubu has chosen to visit the island.
They long to strengthen their bonds with African nations with which they share ancestral links.”Onanuga continued that, “Saint Lucia is the headquarters of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the gateway to the 15 CARICOM member states. The CARICOM states have a combined GDP of over $130 billion, a significant figure in South-South trade discourse.
“In an era of global uncertainty, deepening cooperation between the Global South, particularly between continental Africa and the Caribbean, has become imperative.Nigeria and the citizens of the Caribbean have strong people-to-people links.
”Going down memory lane, he pointed out that, “Sir Darnley Alexander, a Saint Lucian-born jurist who died on February 10, 1989, served as Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1975 to 1979.
He first came to Nigeria in 1957, recruited as a legal draftsman by the Western Regional Government of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
“He became the acting Director of Public Prosecutions in 1958. In 1960, he was appointed Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Western Regional Ministry of Justice. In 1964, he was appointed a judge in the Lagos High Court. In 1969, the defunct South Eastern State appointed him the chief judge.
He later became the Chief Justice of Nigeria in 1975, succeeding Sir Teslim Olawale Elias.“President Tinubu’s visit aligns with Nigeria’s Four D’s foreign policy framework: Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography.“As the presidency stated, the visit supports the African Union’s Sixth Region agenda, which identifies the African diaspora as a key development partner.”
