President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived Abuja in the early hours of Sunday after a fifteen-day diplomatic outreach to Saint Lucia and Brazil.

The President who touched down at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 1:30am on Sunday, was received on arrival by some senior members of the administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

At the airport to receive the President were the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; the Senator representing Sokoto North, Aliyu Wamakko; Minister of State for Works, Muhammad Goronyo; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political and other Matters, Kabiru Masari; as well as senior security officers.

It would be recalled that President Tinubu departed Nigeria on Saturday, June 28, for what was described as a strategic outreach aimed at strengthening ties with regions historically under-engaged in Nigeria’s diplomatic matrix.

His first stop was Saint Lucia, where he made a historic visit to build new ties and explore emerging partnerships with Caribbean states.

While in Saint Lucia, President Tinubu interacted with regional leaders under the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), reinforcing Nigeria’s growing interest in Caribbean diplomacy and South-South cooperation.

He subsequently proceeded to Brazil to participate in the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro.

On arrival in Rio de Janeiro, a day before the summit, President Tinubu held a bilateral meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The leaders co-chaired the Nigeria-Brazil high-level bilateral meeting , where they discussed mechanisms to boost trade, infrastructure financing, and cultural cooperation between Africa’s most populous country and Latin America’s largest economy.

During the summit, which he attended as leader of a partner nation, on invitation by Da Silva, Tinubu addressed the gathering on the first day.

In his speech, he called for a comprehensive reevaluation of global governance structures, financial systems, and healthcare frameworks to ensure fairness, inclusion, and justice for low-income and emerging economies, particularly in Africa.

He emphasized the need for a new path of justice based on sustainable technology transfer and accessible financing so that emerging economies can fully benefit from global initiatives.

Highlighting Africa’s disproportionate burden from environmental challenges despite minimal emissions, he referenced regional efforts such as the African Carbon Market Initiative and the Great Green Wall, expressing optimism for strengthened global cooperation at COP30.

Domestically, Tinubu outlined Nigeria’s reform agenda focusing on renewable energy, climate action, urban resilience, and universal health coverage, underscoring Nigeria’s commitment to South-South cooperation and active participation in global decision-making on issues like financial restructuring, debt forgiveness, and climate change.

The Nigerian Leader’s address at the summit marked Nigeria’s debut as a BRICS partner country, reflecting the country’s growing role in global economic and diplomatic affairs.

Nigeria became the ninth partner country of BRICS in January, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

With the President’s return, focus is expected to shift to domestic engagements and follow-up actions on the diplomatic and investment commitments made during his foreign tour. (The Nation)