CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria was on Monday, June 30, 2025, honoured at a joint sitting of Saint Lucia’s bicameral parliament, where leaders of the Caribbean nation traced deep cultural and ancestral links between their people and West Africa, especially Nigeria.
Welcoming Tinubu to the session, President of the Saint Lucian Senate, Alvina Reynolds, referenced an 1815 British census documenting that among the enslaved population on the island, 34% originated from Nigeria, with additional 11% from the Nigeria-Cameroon region and 22% from Congo.
“The transatlantic slave trade, which lasted more than 350 years, created unbreakable cultural and spiritual ties between Africa and the Caribbean,” Reynolds said.
“Your presence today rekindles a mission to reunite us with our homeland.”
She highlighted Sir Darnley Alexander, a Saint Lucian jurist who became Nigeria’s Chief Justice from 1975 to 1979, as a symbol of shared legacies, and honoured the ongoing contributions of Nigerian clergy in Saint Lucia, including Father Festus, a guest at the ceremony.
Tinubu’s visit coincided with World Parliament Day, which Reynolds described as an opportunity to reflect on democratic leadership and the enduring legacy of ancestral connection.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre called the visit a celebration of “freedom and connection”, adding that despite physical separation, Saint Lucians remain “spiritually and culturally bonded to West Africa.”
“Saint Lucia is a small fragment of Africa,” Pierre said.
“We warmly welcome every Nigerian hand of support and embrace with gratitude their contributions to our development.”
He praised Nigeria’s cultural influence—particularly Afrobeats, Nollywood films, and literary icons like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie—which he said have become vehicles for Lucian youth to reconnect with their African roots.
Pierre proposed enhanced cooperation with Nigeria across strategic sectors, including air travel, tourism, creative industries, renewable energy, fintech, and healthcare.
He revealed that an agreement was being finalised with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health to deploy medical professionals to Saint Lucia.
“A direct air link would boost tourism, trade, and cultural exchange between our peoples,” he said, inviting further engagement and looking ahead to the Africa-CARICOM Summit in Ethiopia later this year.
President Tinubu’s visit drew senior leaders from across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including the prime ministers of Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, with delegates from Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and Saint Martin also present.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 28, 2025, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, described the visit as a “historic move to deepen cultural, economic, and diaspora ties” in line with Nigeria’s foreign policy direction.
