Deji Elumoye in Abuja 

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday morning returned to the nation’s capital, Abuja, after two weeks official visits to Saint Lucia and Brazil.

The president’s official aircraft, Nigeria Air Force (NAF) 1, touched down at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by 1.30am  and was received by top government officials.

Those on ground to welcome President Tinubu included the Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku; his Defence counterpart, Bello Matawalle; National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Senator Aliyu Wamakko and Alhaji Ibrahim Masari.

The president left Nigeria on June 28, 2025 first on a maiden state visit to Saint Lucia, where he formalised diplomatic relations between the two countries and was conferred with the country’s highest national honour, Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia.

President Tinubu had said on the occasion that he was humbled to receive the honour, noting that the recognition symbolised a deepening of historic and cultural connections between Nigeria and Saint Lucia.

He pledged to strengthen the ties between Nigeria and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member states.

“I am here as one of you representing that historical journey taken by our forebears, the history that we cannot reserve, but are prepared for progressive understanding.

“I am greatly honoured, on behalf of my country, on behalf of nearly 220 million people in Nigeria, to stand before you to thank you very much. I came here as a president, but I’m leaving as a knight,” the president said.

President Tinubu earlier this month joined other world leaders in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian capital, for the BRICS Summit, where he called for global financial reform and stronger South-South cooperation.

While in Brazil, the president gave an assurance that all bottlenecks hindering the realisation of the agricultural sector’s potential, including livestock production, will be removed to enable food sovereignty and export.

Speaking during a bilateral meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva and some members of both countries’ cabinets at the Copacabana Forte, President Tinubu noted that bureaucracy contributes to delays in realising the agricultural sector’s potential.

The president, in a release issued by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, informed the Brazilian leader and delegation that Nigeria was already undergoing reforms to reposition the economy for global competitiveness, particularly in agriculture, where it already has a competitive advantage.

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