The Presidency in Nigeria has said that President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing state visit to Saint Lucia is a landmark diplomatic and cultural mission.
The statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said that the visit would rekindle Nigeria’s ancestral and strategic ties with the Caribbean nation and the wider CARICOM bloc.
“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,” the statement said.
“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 added..
He explained that Saint Lucia, like many Caribbean nations, has deep ancestral roots connected to West Africa, especially Nigeria.
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.
GIK/APA