30-06-2025
Five things to know about St Lucia di Caribbean nation Tinubu dey visit
Nigeria President Bola Tinubu dey Saint Lucia for state visit wia im go address a special joint session of di Senate and di House of Assembly.
President Tinubu land di Caribbean nation on Saturday for di first leg of im two-nation trip to di Caribbean and South America.
On Sunday di Nigerian leader pay courtesy calls on di Govnor-General and Prime Minister Philip Pierre.
According to di President office, Tinubu go hold high-level working lunch gathering meeting wit di heads of goment of OECS afta im address di joint session of Parliament of Saint Lucia for William Jefferson Clinton Ballroom, Sandals Grande, Gros Islet.
Di Discussions go centre on how to strengthen di cooperation between Nigeria and di OECS, dem go focus on economic partnerships and cultural solidarity for dia shared prosperity.
Afta dat discussion, im go visit di Sir Arthur Lewis Community College for Castries to strengthen educational ties and promote academic exchange.
Dis na five tins you need to know about di Caribbean nation.
Tourism
Tourism na di main source of income for St Lucia and di industry na dia biggest employer.
Di tropical eastern Caribbean island get plenty beaches, mountains, exotic plants and di Qualibou volcano wit im boiling sulphur springs.
Bifor visitors begin troop go dia, na banana exports sustain St Lucia, especially afta 1964 wen dem stop to produce sugar cane.
Crops like mangoes and avocados dey also grow dia, but bananas na dia biggest source of foreign exchange afta tourism.
St Lucians na descendants of African slaves
Most St Lucians na di descendants of African slaves, wey di British bring for di 19th Century to work on sugar plantations.
Although St Lucia na former British colony, di French bin settle dia for di 17th Century.
Dia influence still dey for di patois wey dem dey speak for di kontri.
ST LUCIA: FACTS
Leaders
Head of state: King of di United Kingdom Charles III, represented by a governor-general
Prime Minister: Philip Joseph Pierre
Philip Joseph Pierre take im oath of office as prime minister on 29 July 2021, afta im St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) win a clear victory for dia general election
Di SLP bin win 13 out of di 17 seats while di outgoing United Workers Party lose nine of di eleven seats.
Dis na di fourth consecutive election wey di incumbent govment dey lose election.
Some key dates for St Lucia history
200-400AD - Island settled by Arawaks, many pipo believe say dem come from northern South America, wey call di island Iouanalao or "Land of di Iguanas"
1502 - E dey possible say Christopher Columbus bin sight St Lucia, although im no mention di island for im log.
1520 - one globe for Vatican bin show di island as Sancta Lucia, to support one Spanish claim to di island.
1550s - French pirate François le Clerc, or Jambe de Bois due to im wooden leg, bin set up camp and attack Spanish ships wey dey pass.
1605 - One English ship on route to Guyana bin blow off course. Di colonists on board bin attempt to settle but di natives attack and drive dem off.
1638 - Di English again bin attempt to settle.
1650 - France claim di island.
1660 - Di French sign one treaty wit di indigenous Carib pipo.
1664 - English again claim di island but leave for 1666.
1667 - France gain full control of di island under di Treaty of Breda, wey end di Second Anglo-Dutch War between England, di Dutch Republic and Denmark-Norway.
1674 - Saint Lucia become French crown colony.
18th Century - With di development of di slave-based sugar industry wey dem develop, di British and di French compete for control. Di island repeatedly change ownership, although di French settlements remain.
1756-63 - Seven Years War. Britain bin occupy di island for a year, but hand am back to France at di end of di war under di Treaty of Paris.
1778 - Battle of St Lucia: During di American Revolutionary War, French and British navies and troops clash as di French attempt to take ova British colonies for di Caribbean. Di French fail and di island surrender to di British.
1789 - French Revolution. Di island bin changes hands several times until Britain gain control for1803.
1782 - Battle of di Saintes: One British naval squadron, wey bin dey based for St Lucia, bin defeat one French fleet off Dominica, e end a Spanish and French bid to invade Jamaica during dinAmerican Revolutionary War.
1814 - France cedes St Lucia to Britain following di Treaty of Paris; Britain come proclaim di island a crown colony.
1834 - Na di year dem abolish slavery.
1939-45 - Second World War: One German U-boat bin sink two ships for Castries harbour for 1942. Di US bin establish two military bases for di island.
1951 -Na di year dem introduce universal suffrage.
1958-62 - St Lucia na part of di sort-lived West Indies Federation.
1967 - Na di year St Lucia begin govern dia internal affairs, as Britain still remain in charge of external matters and defence.
1979 - St Lucia gain independence.
1992 - Derek Walcott, wey from di capital, Castries, win di Nobel Prize for literature.
2002 - Tropical Storm Lili destroy about half of di banana crop. for some places e wipe out di entire plantations.
2003 - Parliament amend dia constitution to replace oath of allegiance to British monarch wit pledge of loyalty to St Lucians.
2007 - St Lucia restore dia political ties wit Taiwan.
2023 - St Lucia and Venezuela sign agreements to strengthen dia existing political ties, and to develop economic and air transport links.
