President Bola Tinubu on Monday addressed a special joint sitting of the Senate and House of Assembly of Saint Lucia at Sandals Grande, Gros Islet.

Tinubu had earlier on Monday proposed a visa waiver arrangement for holders of diplomatic and official passports from member states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), during a special address to a joint session of the Saint Lucian Parliament.

President Tinubu, in his address at the Sandals Grande Saint Lucian Conference Hall, said Nigeria is willing to initiate the process of lifting visa restrictions for OECS officials and called for a reciprocal arrangement to ease official travel between both regions.

According to him, the measure would facilitate institutional cooperation, while he stated that increased movement of officials could strengthen bilateral and multilateral engagements.

“Nigeria is open to exploring a visa waiver arrangement for holders of diplomatic and official passports from OECS countries travelling to Nigeria,” he said.

“I respectfully urge a reciprocal gesture to enable smoother movement of officials and foster closer institutional cooperation.”

Tinubu’s visit is the first time an African ruler will be travelling to Saint Lucia since the late president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela attended the 1998 CARICOM Heads of Government Summit.