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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu welcomed Prime Minister Dr. Terence Michael Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, reinforcing bilateral ties amid shared African Union membership and historical links.
Drew, highlighting Nigeria’s global influence noted, “His collaboration has been tremendous. It has had a tremendous impact on the development and advancement of the Caribbean, coming from Nigeria, which is a significant country in the African continent and in the world, this has been very progressive and important to us. So I want to express my sincerest gratitude to the President and the government and people of this great country.”
The PM emphasised deep cultural roots, stating, “This is our people, our people in Saint Kitts and Nevis fundamentally, came from Calabar, here in Nigeria. Yes, so I always say we have come back home. So it’s always a pleasure to be back.”
Discussions focused on expanding cooperation in cultural exchange, education, food security, agriculture, and broader continent-wide development. “Specifically, we discussed multiple things; in terms of cultural exchange. We also discussed educational opportunities; matters to do with food security and in the agricultural space; as well and overall development and collaboration between the Caribbean and the African continent and Nigeria specifically, to advance our global issues together. So I think there are concrete things that we are taking away, thus far.”
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He cited existing successes, including Nigerian doctors trained in St. Kitts now practicing in Nigeria, and announced next steps. “I’ll give you something that is important. A lot of Nigerians have studied in my country, and they are doctors here today, and we had a contingent of doctors who went to Saint Kitts and Nevis, already, we are seeing some tangible benefits with respect to our collaboration, and now we are taking it to the next level, which we have agreed to.”
To sustain momentum, both leaders agreed to appoint special envoys. “So there will be a special envoy to Saint Kitts and Nevis, and of course, we would have a special envoy here to further the collaboration and make sure that the tangible benefits for both Saint Kitts and Nevis and the wider CARICOM and for Nigeria and the wider African continent.”
Drew returning to Nigeria nearly a year after his last visit, praised Tinubu’s hospitality and leadership. “It’s always a pleasure for me to be here in Nigeria. I was here last year around this time, and I’m back again, and I want to thank His Excellency, the President, who has been so gracious as a host. He has always welcomed me with open arms and others from the CARICOM. We are member of the AU as well. We are the sixth region. So I want to thank him for his leadership. I want to thank him for his collaboration, and I want to thank him for his openness.”
