Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

State House, Abuja - The Presidency has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ongoing state visit to Saint Lucia, describing it as a landmark diplomatic and cultural mission.

It noted that the visit is rekindling Nigeria’s ancestral and strategic ties with the Caribbean nation and the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) bloc.

Legit.ng reported that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, called on President Tinubu not to go on holiday this time around, adding that his experience of the country in the last two years demands urgent action from the leader.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday, June 29, the presidency 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.”

It added:

“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.”

Onanuga explained that Saint Lucia, like many Caribbean nations, has deep ancestral roots connected to West Africa, especially Nigeria.

The visit, according to the presidency, marks President Tinubu as the first Nigerian leader to undertake a state visit to Saint Lucia, an island country of the West Indies, North America, with a population of 179,285 people.

Its economic mainstay is tourism and agriculture, with bananas being a key export.

The statement read,” 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.

"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," the statement added.

Read more about the presidency, Tinubu here:

Legit.ng earlier reported that Peter Obi of the Labour Party has shaded Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, on his return to Nigeria from France in a veiled message.

During his visit to the Muslim community in Awka, the Anambra state capital, Obi said no serious leader would leave the country to rest somewhere else with the situation of Nigeria now.

The former governor of Anambra State said he had not rested since the election ended because of the dilemma Nigeria currently finds itself.

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Source: Legit.ng