*President Bola Ahmed Tinubu delegates Senate President Godswill Akpabio to lead Nigeria’s five-member delegation to attend the burial of His Holiness, Pope Francis Saturday, April 26, in the Vatican City

Alexander Davis | 绿帽献妻

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent a high-powered delegation to Vatican City to attend the burial of His Holiness, Pope Francis, slated for Saturday, April 26.

Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, who stated this Friday, April 25, 2025, noted President Tinubu has delegated Senate President Godswill Akpabio to lead the five-member delegation to the Vatican City, in Rome.

Onanuga disclosed other members of the delegation are the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama.

Pope Francis, the revered Head of the Roman Catholic Church, died Monday, April 21 this year at 88, barely a day after appearing for Easter Sunday celebrations at the Vatican.

The statement also noted the country’s delegation would formally deliver a letter conveying President Tinubu’s sympathy and condolences on Pope Francis’ passing to the Acting Head of the Vatican.

It is recalled that President Tinubu Monday, April 21 had joined the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide to mourn the death of Pope Francis.

The Nigerian leader described the deceased as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions.”

President Tinubu, in the condolence message, remarked that Pope Francis’s death, coming just after the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, is a sacred return to his Maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.