The Presidency has provided fresh insight into the purpose and significance of President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Saint Lucia, amid what it described as “misinformed and mischievous commentary” circulating on various platforms.
  
However, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, criticised the President over his visit to Saint Lucia, describing the trip as “ill-timed and insensitive” given the deepening hardship, insecurity and natural disasters afflicting Nigeria.
  
Replying Obi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement, Fredrick Nwabufo, faulted the former governor of Anambra State over his remarks on Tinubu’s foreign engagement.
  
In a statement, yesterday, the Presidency explained that the visit marked a pivotal moment in rekindling historical and cultural ties, while opening a new chapter of diplomatic, economic and people-to-people engagement between Nigeria and the Caribbean nation.
  
Saint Lucia, like many Caribbean nations, has a population with strong African ancestry. During the mid-19th century, waves of migrants from present-day Nigeria made the trans-Atlantic journey to Saint Lucia, bringing with them customs, beliefs and religious practices that have since become woven into the island’s cultural fabric.
  
President Tinubu’s presence on the island has been met with palpable excitement. For the people of Saint Lucia, the visit is more than a courtesy; it is a symbolic homecoming and an opportunity to strengthen ancestral connections and deepen cooperation with the African continent.
  
Saint Lucia holds considerable strategic value. It is the headquarters of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and serves as a gateway to the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM), whose combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) exceeds $130 billion. As the world grapples with economic uncertainty and geopolitical shifts, there is a growing imperative for countries in the Global South, particularly Africa and the Caribbean, to forge deeper alliances based on mutual benefit and historical ties.
  
Though geographically distant, the ties between Nigeria and Saint Lucia are longstanding. The enduring connections are emblematic of the deep, if often overlooked, interlinkages between Nigeria and the Caribbean.  
  
During the visit, Tinubu will address a special joint session of the Saint Lucian Parliament at the Sandals Grande Saint Lucian Conference Hall, renamed in honour of former U.S. President Bill Clinton after his keynote address there in 2003.

In a statement issued by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency further explained that the visit represents a vision of Africa’s future that is inclusive, outward-looking, and deeply connected to its global diaspora.
  
However, in a strongly worded statement entitled ‘No, Mr President, this is not the time for Holidaying,’ Obi expressed dismay at the President’s travel plans, calling them out of touch with the realities on the ground.
  
“I didn’t want to believe that anybody in the position of authority, more so the President, on whose table the buck stops, would contemplate a leisure trip at this time,” Obi said.
  
He questioned how the President could leave for what he described as a “holiday” while the nation battles widespread hunger, worsening insecurity, and the aftermath of recent natural disasters.
  
“In the past two years, Nigeria has lost more people to all sorts of criminality than a country that is officially at war,” Obi stated. “Nigeria ranks among the most insecure places in the world. Nigerians are hungrier, and most people do not know where their next meal will come from.”
  
The statement adds to growing public scrutiny of the Tinubu administration’s priorities, particularly its engagement with foreign trips at a time when large segments of the population face acute hardship.
  
In a post on X, Nwabufo described Obi as a “tragedy connoisseur” who frequently floods the public space with “lamentations vacant of substance and facts”.
  
He wrote: “You are not to be indulged as your frequent tantrums are obviously headline-grabbing performances.” Describing Tinubu’s visit to Saint Lucia as official and strategic, Nwabufo noted that the Caribbean country hosts the headquarters OECS. He said the visit was aimed at deepening Nigeria’s engagement with Caribbean nations and strengthening South-South cooperation.