President Bola Tinubu arrived in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, on Saturday at 5.30 p.m. local time.

This was disclosed in a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga on Saturday night.

He said, upon Tinubu’s arrival at Hewanorra International Airport, he was accorded full military honours and received by the Governor-General of Saint Lucia, His Excellency Errol Melchiades Charles, and Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.

According to Onanuga, the visit marks the first leg of his two-nation trip to the Caribbean and South America.

Tinubu will kick off the state visit on Sunday by paying courtesy calls on the Governor-General and Prime Minister Philip Pierre.

The President will address a special joint session of the Senate and the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia on Monday.

The event will take place at the William Jefferson Clinton Ballroom, Sandals Grande, Gros Islet.

“Guests include the Heads of Government of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), senior Saint Lucian government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, the Nigerian community in Saint Lucia, and the Director-General of the OECS, Dr. Didacus Jules.

“President Tinubu will hold a high-level working luncheon with the Heads of Government of OECS after the joint session of the Parliament of Saint Lucia.

“Discussions will centre on deepening cooperation between Nigeria and the OECS, focusing on economic partnerships and cultural solidarity for shared prosperity.

“According to the President’s itinerary, he will visit the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Castries to strengthen educational ties and promote academic exchange.

“President Tinubu’s visit underscores Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic and economic relations with Caribbean states, particularly within the African Union’s Sixth Region framework, which recognises the African diaspora as a vital partner in the continent’s development”, the statement partly reads.

After his engagements in Saint Lucia, the President will proceed to Brazil to participate in the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro from July 6 to 7, 2025.

President Tinubu would be attending the BRICS summit at the invitation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, based on Nigeria’s status as a ‘partner country’—a ‘membership category short of full membership.

The partner status is higher than that of a guest country, as has been the case in the past. South Africa, Egypt, and Ethiopia are African members of BRICS.

The 17th BRICS Summit will focus on “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North Senatorial District, has said that the excessive printing of money by the Central Bank of Nigeria under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari through the Ways and Means policy crippled the naira.

Oshiomhole made this statement on Saturday at a Progressive Governors Forum’s Meeting and Interactive Session in Benin City, Edo State.

He blamed the policy for the eventual collapse of the Nigerian currency against the US dollar.

“We are coming from a country that was almost like Zimbabwe or Idi Amin’s Uganda, where he asked the Central Bank Governor to ‘go and print more money for us to share to the people’. And the Governor said, if we print more money, Uganda currency will be like a sheet of paper,” he said.

According to the former Edo State Governor and President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to understand the root cause of the present cost of living and the exchange rate regime, you must trace and locate it in terms of the excessive amount of banknotes through the so-called Ways and Means which the past government created.

He said Nigeria was borrowing every day the way fish drinks water, stressing that it has become President Bola Tinubu’s burden to pay back those loans to guarantee the sovereignty of Nigeria.

Recall that the Senate in 2024 inaugurated an ad hoc committee to investigate the Ways and Means and the Anchor Borrowers Programme of the apex bank.

Ekwutosblog reports that the Ways and Means provision allows the Federal Government to borrow from the CBN if it needs emergency finance to fund delayed government expected cash receipts of fiscal deficits.

Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF, on Saturday said the resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, was in tandem with the party’s continued evolution.

Ekwutosblog reports that the Forum stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of its two-day strategic regional meeting in Benin City, Edo State capital, hosted by Governor Monday Okpebholo.

The communique read by the Chairman of the PGF and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, noted that APC remains the most institutionally-coherent political platform in Nigeria, with unmatched records of reforms, electoral success and national unity.

The communique noted that the recent influx of governors, National Assembly members, and other key stakeholders into the APC is a clear affirmation of public confidence in the party’s leadership model and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

The Forum which formally welcomed Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State to the party, noted that his decision, alongside with his supporters to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, reflects a growing national consensus on the transformative policies being executed by the Tinubu administration.

The communique added that the APC governors committed to work collaboratively to deliver bold reforms, strengthen institutional trust, and accelerate socio-economic development across all geopolitical zones.

The APC governors equally resolved to remain faithful to the party’s values, leveraging technology, innovation, and inter-governmental collaboration to drive Nigeria’s transformation from the bottom up.

The Forum encouraged all Nigerians, both home and abroad, to rally behind Tinubu and the APC as the nation moves towards a more secured, inclusive, and forward-looking future.

According to the communique, the APC governors engaged in deep reflection on the nation’s socio-economic direction and reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The Forum highlighted key outcomes and resolutions from the gathering. The meeting provided a crucial platform to harmonize development strategies, reinforce party cohesion, and reaffirm the forum’s dedication to people-centered development, institutional accountability, and inter-governmental collaboration.

“The PGF congratulated President Tinubu and his team, commending the widespread endorsement of his policies across all States led by the Forum.

“A comprehensive appraisal of the nation’s economic, social, security, and political trajectory was undertaken by members of the Forum,” the communique said.

On security and national stability, the Forum commended security agencies and the ongoing efforts to counter criminality and safeguard national sovereignty.

The PGF expressed condolences to families affected by insecurity, particularly in Benue and Niger states, and reaffirmed its collective resolve to support the President’s national security architecture, commending recent actions and visits to Benue State.

While calling for greater investment in surveillance infrastructure and the welfare of frontline personnel, it reaffirmed support for inter-agency coordination, community policing, and grassroots intelligence systems.

In the same vein, the communique highlighted the indispensable roles of local government and community structures in service delivery and democratic inclusion, emphasizing the need for reinvigorated grassroots governance.