President Bola Tinubu has been awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (KCOSL) in recognition of his leadership and efforts to strengthen ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
The honour was formally conferred by Governor-General Errol Charles during an official state reception on Monday night at Government House, Morne Fortune, as part of President Tinubu’s state visit to the island nation.
“I came here as a president, but I’m leaving as a knight,” Tinubu said. “On behalf of nearly 220 million Nigerians, I deeply appreciate this recognition.”
Governor-General Charles noted that the award acknowledges Tinubu’s role in promoting cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean in areas such as trade, education, healthcare, climate resilience, and cultural exchange.
“With this investiture, he shall be known as Sir Bola Ahmed Tinubu, KCOSL (Hon.), President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the Governor-General declared.
Tinubu praised Saint Lucia’s hospitality and reaffirmed his commitment to deepening ties with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Earlier that day, he addressed a joint sitting of Saint Lucia’s Parliament, where he proposed visa waivers for diplomatic and official passport holders from OECS nations and announced a new scholarship scheme for OECS students to study in Nigerian universities.
“The Black race is not lazy. We are hard-working and honest people. Given the opportunity, we can excel,” Tinubu said, invoking the shared heritage of Africa and the Caribbean.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre described the visit as historic and called for stronger Africa-Caribbean links.
“We are just eight hours away from Africa. We must build connections and embrace the richness of our shared identity,” Pierre said.
President Tinubu’s visit to Saint Lucia is the first stop on his two-nation tour of the Caribbean and South America, which began Saturday with his arrival in Vieux Fort.
