Presidency for Criticism: Tinubu in Saint Lucia for strategic involvement, not for holidays

The presidency on Sunday clarified that the journey of President Tinubu to Saint Lucia was for strategic involvement and not for a vacation.

The president has been criticized since his journey to the Caribbean state was announced on Friday.

The presidential candidate for the Labor Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Saturday described the journey not on time because of the security situation in force in the country.

However, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, a special advisor about information and strategies to the President, Bayo Onanuga, said his headmaster’s visit to Saint Lucia was an important diplomatic and cultural mission.

He said the journey of President Tinubu ‘would re -turn on Nigeria’s ancestral and strategic ties with a wider Caribia and Caricom Block.

Onanuga said: “After a few Nigerian comments that were wrong, naughty, and did not get information about the historic state visit of the Tinubu Bola Bola to Saint Lucia, it was necessary to clarify the purpose of the visit.

“First, from the perspective of Saint Lucia’s government, a visit by the leader of Nigeria opened the way to return our ancestral ties, triggering a new era of the possibility of diplomatic, culture and economy between our countries.

“Saint Lucia, like many Caribbean countries, has deep ancestral roots that are connected to West Africa, especially Nigeria.

“In the middle of the 19th century, the wave of immigrants from Nigeria now arrived at Saint Lucia, bringing cultural and religious practices that survive today.

“Saint Lucia residents were very happy that President Tinubu had chosen to visit the island.

“They want to strengthen their bond with African countries whom they share ancestral relations.

“Visit as a major effort in the framework of South-South Cooperation and four Nigerian-Democracy Foreign Policy Strategies, Development, Diaspora, and Demographics.

I am “Saint Lucia is the headquarters of the organization of the Eastern Caribbean State and the Gate of the 15th Gate of Caricom Member Countries.

“The Caricom countries have a combined GDP of more than $ 130 billion, a significant figure in the southern-south trade discourse.”

The President’s assistant considering the main historical relations between Nigeria and Saint Lucia, especially the life and career of Sir Darnley Alexander, a Saint Lucian who served as Chairman of the Nigerian Court from 1975 to 1979.

“Sir Darnley Alexander, a legal expert born in Saint Lucian who died on February 10, 1989, served as Nigerian Chief Justice from 1975 to 1979,” he said, added that, “He first came to Nigeria in 1957, was recruited as a legal interpreter by the Western Regional Government of the Head of Obafemi Awolowo.”

“” Sir Alexander was the Director of Acting Public Prosecution in 1958.

I “in 1960, he was appointed as a lawyer general and permanent secretary of the Western Regional Justice Ministry.

Four years later, he was appointed as a judge at the Lagos High Court, and in 1969, the southeast state that did not function to appoint him as a chief judge.

“Nigeria actively encourages cultural exchange through collaboration in education, culture, and preservation of heritage.

“Our cultural exports, including Afrobeats, Nollywood, and Literature, have made a significant impact on Saint Lucia and the wider Caribbean.

“The Gros Island Street party is one of the most famous Saint Lucia cultural events. It has been held every Friday for more than 50 years.

“On Friday before the arrival of President Tinubu, Afrobeats and Nigeria music dominated air waves, a proof of soft power and growing cultural traces of Nigeria,” Onanuga said.