Nigerians in Diaspora, especially those in Saint Lucia have lamented the $2,500 yearly work permit, calling for the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
President of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO, Smart Okeudili Duah, made the appeal while meeting with President Tinubu in Saint Lucia.
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.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement disclosed that President Tinubu met with Nigerians at the official residence of Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, on Tuesday night, and also met with them on Wednesday at the Windjammer Resort, his abode during his state visit.
The statement further disclosed that the Nigerians In Diaspora Commission Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, organised the meeting and invited various Nigerian professionals and students living in Saint Lucia.
The NIDCOM chairman, according to statement said Nigeria is proud of what Nigerians contribute to Saint Lucia and hopes they will remember home.
She thanked President Tinubu for coming to the meeting.
The statement quoted Father Festus Iwuagwu, a Nigerian priest resident in Saint Lucia, to have stated that the high turnout at the meeting indicated Nigerians’ love and respect for President Tinubu.
Also 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. 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. President Tinubu 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.”
The statement said while 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”.
President Tinubu promised to resolve some of the issues diplomatically. He also informed Nigerians about his government’s efforts to restore economic stability.
“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”, he said.
President Tinubu stated that although Nigeria’s per capita income is low, his administration is working to improve it. The Nigerians gifted the President a portrait in his image, made by Doris, a medical student and artist.
