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I’ve Rescued Nigeria from Bankruptcy, Tinubu Tells Nigerian Community in Saint Lucia
President Bola Tinubu says his administration has rescued the Nigerian economy from bankruptcy.
Tinubu said this during a meeting on Wednesday in Saint Lucia. The meeting was organised by The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa. It involved various Nigerian professionals and students living in Saint Lucia.
According to a statement stated by Bayo Onanuga the President’s Special Adviser (Information and Strategy), Tinubu said, “We inherited a country that was near bankruptcy. But we have been able to rescue the economy. Nigeria has recovered. We have made the smuggling of our oil unattractive. We have stopped chasing forex papers at the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
Tinubu admitted that Nigeria’s per capita income is low, but said his administration was working to improve it.
The Nigerian leader also said that, based on what his hosts told him, Nigerians in Saint Lucia have demonstrated good character. He urged them to continue to be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
He said: “My plea to you all: continue to be of good behaviour, don’t break the law.”
Sharing his experience as a student in the United States five decades ago, President Tinubu urged the Saint Lucian Nigerians to remain focused and work hard.
“Life is about working hard, being consistent, he said.. “For the professionals living here, our government will not abandon you. But you must work hard. It is our job to help you succeed.”
The NIDCOM chairman, on her own part, said Nigeria is proud of what Nigerians contributed to Saint Lucia and hoped they would remember home.
The statement said Smart Okeudili Duah, President of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO, informed the Nigerian leader of some of the problems Nigerians are encountering, particularly the cost of a work permit, which is $2,500 yearly.
He also urged the President to establish a diplomatic presence in Saint Lucia as urgently as possible, a plan President Tinubu has already committed to.
Onanuga’s statement further noted that Father Festus Iwuagwu, a Nigerian priest resident in Saint Lucia, said the high turnout at the meeting indicated Nigerians’ love and respect for President Tinubu.
Doctor Olugbemisola Ogunlusi, who moved to Saint Lucia after graduating as a paediatrician at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, said she was happy President Tinubu visited Saint Lucia.
In the statement stared by Onanuga, it was said Ogunlusi and her husband migrated to the country 19 years ago and raised children who are medical doctors. However, her husband returned home and appointed the chief medical director of one of the new federal medical centres.
“Since you arrived, you have propagated Nigeria more than ever thought”, she told President Tinubu. She wished President Tinubu a safe journey home.
The Nigerians, the statement said, gifted the President a portrait in his image, made by Doris, a medical student and artist.
FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.
Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.
“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.
There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.
“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.
AFP
Iran, on Wednesday, shut the Strait of Hormuz following fresh Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, raising fears that a fragile ceasefire with the United States could collapse less than a day after it was reached.
The closure comes amid renewed hostilities that have cast doubt over efforts to halt more than a month of fighting. While both Iran and the United States had earlier declared victory after brokering the truce, fresh missile and drone attacks were reported across Iran and parts of the Gulf, alongside intensified Israeli bombardments in Lebanon.
In Beirut, Israeli strikes hit residential and commercial areas without prior warning, leaving at least multiple people dead and many others injured in what has been described as one of the deadliest days of the conflict.
Iranian state media confirmed the closure, with IRNA reporting that the move was taken “in the wake of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.” The development has heightened concerns over the stability of the ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States.
Authorities in Iran also imposed strict controls on maritime movement in the strategic waterway. Ships near the strait were instructed to seek permission from Sepah, a special operations unit under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, before passage. A radio message cited by The Wall Street Journal warned that any vessel attempting to cross without approval “will be destroyed.”
Earlier in the day, Iran had indicated a willingness to reopen the strait during the proposed two-week ceasefire, noting this would be done with “coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” U.S. officials, meanwhile, said American forces could assist in managing ship traffic, although details remain unclear.
U.S. President Donald Trump also told ABC News he was open to a “joint venture” arrangement with Iran that would involve charging tolls for vessels passing through the strait.
However, reports of ceasefire breaches soon emerged. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who played a role in negotiating the agreement, said on X that violations had already been recorded, further deepening uncertainty over whether the truce will hold.
The Presidency has come up with reasons behind President Bola Tinubu’s absent at the commissioning of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s projects in Lagos, on Wednesday.
Tinubu was noticeably absent at the scheduled project commissioning in Lagos, sparking public curiosity.
However, Sunday Dare, his Special Adviser on Public Communications and Orientation, has clarified the reason behind the last-minute development.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Dare revealed that the President had to prioritise urgent national security matters over the event.
According to him, although Tinubu is currently in Lagos, he has been deeply engaged in high-level State duties, particularly ongoing security briefings tied to recent developments across the country.
“The president has been busy taking constant briefs and has to prioritise when it comes to state matters, especially security,” Dare stated.
He referenced rising security concerns, including recent unrest linked to incidents in Jos, noting that the President has been closely monitoring the situation and working directly with intelligence agencies.
Dare emphasised that Tinubu remains fully engaged behind the scenes, actively coordinating with security operatives and receiving continuous updates to address emerging threats.
The absence, he stressed, should not be seen as neglect of official duties but rather a reflection of the President’s focus on safeguarding national stability at a critical time.
Tinubu skipped the Lagos commissioning not out of disregard, but to handle pressing security issues demanding immediate presidential attention.
