*Tinubu in St Lucia for diplomatic engagement not vacation – Presidency
*Describes claims that President is on vacation as misguided, mischievous, uninformed
*President’s vacation to St Lucia ill-timed, insensitive to current hardship in Nigeria – Peter Obi
*Insists his vacation while Nigerians grapple with hunger, insecurity is shocking
By Our Correspondent with agency report
As controversy continues to trail President Bola Tinubu’s trip to St Lucia, the Presidency has stated that contrary to claims in some quarters, President Bola Tinubu’s visit is for strategic engagements, not a vacation.
It would be recalled that Tinubu arrived in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, early Sunday, sparking claims in some quarters that the president had gone to the Caribbean nation for a vacation.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Sunday, described the claims as misguided, mischievous, and uninformed.
“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,” he said.
“Like many Caribbean nations, Saint Lucia has a significant population of African ancestry. 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”, he added.
Onanuga explained that the increasing level of global uncertainty makes it imperative for Africa and the Caribbean to deepen cooperation among themselves.
“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,” the presidency said.
“In an era of global uncertainty, deepening cooperation between the Global South, particularly between continental Africa and the Caribbean, has become imperative.
“Nigeria and the citizens of the Caribbean have strong people-to-people links”, he added.
He said, “Tinubu’s visit aligns with Nigeria’s Four D’s foreign policy framework: Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography.
“As the presidency stated, the visit supports the African Union’s Sixth Region agenda, which identifies the African Diaspora as a key development partner.
“Nigeria actively fosters cultural exchange through collaboration in education, culture, and heritage preservation. Our cultural exports, including Afrobeats, Nollywood, and literature, are already making a significant impact on Saint Lucia and the wider Caribbean, enriching our shared cultural landscape.”
However, in his reaction, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his visit to Saint Lucia, describing it as ill-timed and insensitive to the current hardship and insecurity ravaging the country.
Obi, in a statement titled “No, Mr President, This is Not the Time for Holidaying,” expressed shock at Tinubu’s choice to embark on a vacation while Nigerians continue to grapple with hunger, insecurity, and devastation from natural disasters.
“I didn’t want to believe that anybody in the position of authority, more so the President, on whose table the buck stops in this country, with all the myriad problems in virtually all areas of governance, would contemplate a leisure trip at this time,” Obi said.
He questioned how the President could contemplate a vacation while the country battles severe insecurity, hunger, and the aftermath of natural disasters.
“What I have seen and witnessed in the last two years has left me in shock about poor governance delivery and apparent channelling of energy into politics and satisfaction of the elites, while the masses in our midst are languishing in want.
“In the past two years, Nigeria has lost more people to all sorts of criminality than a country that is officially at war. Without any twilight, 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.
“With such a gory picture of one’s country, you can imagine my bewilderment when I saw a news release from the Presidency announcing that President Bola Tinubu is departing Nigeria today (Saturday) for a visit to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean,” Obi added.
The former Anambra State governor cited the President’s absence from disaster-hit areas such as Minna, Niger State, where floods reportedly claimed over 200 lives and left hundreds missing as evidence of failed leadership.
Obi also criticised Tinubu’s visit to Benue State, describing it as a political jamboree and not a condolence visit.
