Tinubu is expected to jet off to Rome this weekend to attend the installation of the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, amid rising concerns over his frequent foreign trips and their relevance to Nigeria’s domestic challenges.
In an official statement on Thursday by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, it was confirmed that Tinubu would be part of a Nigerian delegation heading to the Vatican for Sunday’s inauguration mass of the new pontiff, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.
The Pope, who once served in Lagos during the 1980s, extended a personal invitation to Tinubu through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, stating, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me, as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
He further emphasized the importance of Tinubu’s presence at the historic event: “At this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
The Nigerian delegation is said to include several prominent clerics and political figures, among them the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop of Owerri and head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Lucius Ugorji; Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; and Alfred Martins of Lagos. Also listed is the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, who has often been critical of successive Nigerian administrations.
The Pope’s formal enthronement, set for May 18 at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, marks the official start of his role as the 267th Pope and spiritual leader to more than a billion Catholics around the globe. He was elected 27 days after the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
Tinubu is scheduled to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20, according to the presidency.
