Category Nigeria News

Nigeria is set to deploy skilled professionals, including teachers, doctors, and agriculturists, to Saint Lucia and other Caribbean nations under a newly signed Technical Manpower Assistance (TMA) Agreement.

In a statement released on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the initiative is part of broader efforts to deepen South-South cooperation and reconnect with the African diaspora in the Caribbean.

The agreement was formalised in Castries, Saint Lucia, with Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, Director-General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC), signing on behalf of Nigeria.

Janelle Modeste-Stephen, Acting Permanent Secretary at Saint Lucia’s Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs, signed on behalf of the Caribbean nation.

Describing the agreement as “a great achievement,” Yakub noted that it reflects President Bola Tinubu’s directive to deploy technical aid to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

“This is an outstanding achievement, just days after Mr President’s directive to deploy technical aid to Saint Lucia and the wider OECS,” Yakub was quoted as saying.

The statement noted that, under the agreement, Nigerian professionals will serve as volunteers for two years, with Nigeria covering their allowances and logistics, while Saint Lucia and other host nations provide accommodation and local support.

READ ALSO: Saint Lucia Confers Knighthood On Tinubu For Promoting Africa-Caribbean Unity

Yakub emphasised the diplomatic and cultural significance of the move, stating, “These students who will benefit from the scholarship will have a chance to reconnect with their roots and heritage. ”

The deployment aligns with President Tinubu’s recently unveiled 4D foreign policy—Democracy, Development, Diaspora, and Demography—which seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s global influence through strategic partnerships.

Since the inception of the current administration in May 2023, Yakub revealed that over 300 professionals have been deployed to countries across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

“Since my appointment in August, we’ve deployed volunteers to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, and other African nations. This programme was nearly dormant, but Mr President revived it with his strong foreign policy vision,” he noted.

Yakub disclosed that additional deployments are ongoing, with four nurses scheduled to depart for Jamaica and six medical doctors set to leave for Grenada on 9 July.

Discussions are also underway with Belize, the Dominican Republic, and the Director-General of the OECS to create a regional framework for further technical cooperation.

The TAC initiative has also shown potential beyond development assistance.

Yakub said, “Jamaica has formally requested 400 experts, who are willing to pay. Instead of importing labour from Asia, they want Nigerian professionals. We are exporting Nigeria’s human capital with dignity, creating opportunities for our people, and reinforcing Nigeria’s leadership across the Global South.

“One of our volunteers in Jamaica popularised Adire (Yoruba fabric design), which has become so popular that Jamaicans now produce it locally, calling it ‘Jadire’. They even export it to the United States. ”

President Tinubu has been on a state visit to Saint Lucia since Saturday as part of a two-nation tour of the Caribbean and South America.

On Monday, he addressed a special joint sitting of the Saint Lucian Senate and House of Assembly, where he announced a new scholarship scheme for OECS students to study in Nigerian universities from the next academic year.

He also proposed visa waivers for holders of diplomatic and official passports.

The Ogboji neighborhood in Anambra’s Orumba South Local Government Area is where Ebonyi indigenous people were killed, according to the Anambra State Government.

The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, made this point in a statement released on Wednesday.

The statement stated that it was “deeply saddened by the recent killing of innocent lives,” but that it was not “targeted at any particular state or ethnic group.”

The recent killings of innocent people in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area, “stricken the Anambra State Government.” The government expresses its condolences to the victims’ families and expresses its sincere condemnation of this reckless behavior in the most fervent terms.

We want to assure the good people of Anambra and beyond that this incident didn’t target any particular nation or ethnic group. According to preliminary investigations, the unfortunate incident may have been the result of a conflict within the organization.

The government promised to do everything in its power to bring justice to Ogboji’s residents and the entire state.

The government anticipates that the police command will conduct a thorough investigation, find the responsible parties to this heinous crime, and prosecute them. The government reassures Ogboji’s residents and the entire state that we will do everything in our power to bring justice to the people.

We urge all residents to cooperate with security forces to prevent the arrest of the perpetrators. We will work tirelessly to keep our wonderful state safe and secure.

Read more about Nwifuru’s condemnation of the killing of Ebonyi indigenous peoples in Anambra and demands a probe.

Francis Nwifuru, the governor of Ebonyi State, had condemned the alleged murder of 13 Ebonyi residents in Anambra and demanded a prompt investigation into the incident.

Governor Nwifuru described the killing of the indigenes in the Ogboji community, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra, as shocking, according to a statement released by the governor’s chief press secretary, Monday Uzor, and obtained by Channels Television.

They allegedly died at their monthly town union meeting on Monday, according to the allegations.

Nwifuru argued that a direct attack on law-abiding citizens who were merely holding a community meeting was a retribution for humanity and peace.

This barbaric and direct assault on peace, unity, and the sanctity of human life is “not only barbaric but also a direct assault on humanity.”

A group of Ebonyi people meeting peacefully will be shot at close range defies logic and reason. He said, “I strongly disagree with such a heinous act in its entirety, and it is unacceptable.”

According to the statement, the governor has emailed Charles Soludo, the governor’s counterpart in Anambra State, to request a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation.

He hoped that the Anambra State government and relevant security forces would quickly find and prosecute the perpetrators.
He claimed that Ebonyi and Anambra’s relationship might be strained if they don’t do justice.

Governor Nwifuru has sincerely urged the Ebonyi people to remain calm and refrain from acting in any way that might cause tensions, while Governor Nwifuru is still waiting for the results of these inquiries.