President Tinubu arrives in Saint Lucia, begins Caribbean-South America tour

By Kunle Sanni –

President Bola Tinubu arrived in Saint Lucia on Saturday evening to begin a state visit, marking the first leg of a two-nation diplomatic tour of the Caribbean and South America.

Touching down at Hewanorra International Airport at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time, President Tinubu was received with full military honours by Governor-General Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles and Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.

President Tinubu is scheduled to begin official engagements on Sunday with courtesy visits to both the Governor-General and the Prime Minister. A major highlight will be his address to a special joint session of the Saint Lucian Parliament on Monday at the William Jefferson Clinton Ballroom, Sandals Grande, Gros Islet.

Dignitaries expected at the session include Heads of Government of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), senior Saint Lucian officials, diplomats, Nigerian nationals in Saint Lucia, and the Director-General of the OECS, Dr. Didacus Jules.

Following the parliamentary session, President Tinubu will host a high-level working luncheon with OECS leaders to discuss expanding economic cooperation, diaspora engagement, and shared prosperity initiatives between Nigeria and Caribbean nations.

As part of his outreach, the President will also visit the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Castries to strengthen educational partnerships and foster academic exchanges between Nigerian and Caribbean institutions.

After concluding his engagements in Saint Lucia, President Tinubu will proceed to Brazil to attend the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro from July 6 to 7, at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.