The Presidency on Sunday clarified that President Bola Tinubu trip to Saint Lucia was for strategic engagement and not for vacation.
The President has come under criticism since his trip to the Caribbean nation was made public on Friday.
The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Saturday described the trip as ill-timed because of the prevailing security situation in the country.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, said his principal’s visit to Saint Lucia was a landmark diplomatic and cultural mission.
He said with the trip President Tinubu’ would rekindle Nigeria’s ancestral and strategic ties with the Caribbean nation and the wider CARICOM bloc.
Onanuga said: “In the wake of some Nigerians’ misguided, mischievous, and uninformed comments regarding President Bola Tinubu’s historic state visit to Saint Lucia, it is necessary to clarify the purpose of the visit.
“First, from the perspective of the Government of Saint Lucia, 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.
” Saint Lucia, like many Caribbean nations, has deep ancestral roots connected to West Africa, especially Nigeria.
”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.
“The visit as a major effort within the framework of South-South cooperation and Nigeria’s Four D’s foreign policy strategy- Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography.
I“Saint Lucia is the headquarters of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States 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.”
The presidential aide recalled key historical ties between Nigeria and Saint Lucia, most notably the life and career of Sir Darnley Alexander, a Saint Lucian who served as Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1975 to 1979.
“Sir Darnley Alexander, a Saint Lucian-born jurist who died on February 10, 1989, served as Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1975 to 1979,” it said, adding that, “He first came to Nigeria in 1957, recruited as a legal draftsman by the Western Regional Government of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.”
“”Sir Alexander became the acting Director of Public Prosecutions in 1958.
I”n 1960, he was appointed Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Western Regional Ministry of Justice.
Four years later, he was appointed a judge in the Lagos High Court, and in 1969, the defunct South Eastern State appointed him the chief judge.
“Nigeria actively fosters cultural exchange through collaboration in education, culture, and heritage preservation.
“Our cultural exports, including Afrobeats, Nollywood, and literature, are already making a significant impact on Saint Lucia and the wider Caribbean.
, “The Gros Islet Street Party is arguably one of Saint Lucia’s most famous cultural events. It has been held every Friday for over 50 years.
“On the Friday before President Tinubu’s arrival, Afrobeats and Nigerian music dominated the airwaves, a testament to Nigeria’s growing soft power and cultural footprint,” Onanuga stated.
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