President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a high-level delegation to the Vatican City to represent Nigeria at the funeral of Pope Francis, scheduled for Saturday, April 26.
Leading the five-member delegation is Senate President Godswill Akpabio. He is joined by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese; and Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama of the Abuja Diocese.
Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, passed away on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88—just a day after participating in Easter Sunday celebrations at the Vatican.
The Nigerian delegation will deliver a formal letter of condolence from President Tinubu to the Acting Head of the Vatican, expressing the nation’s sympathy and solidarity with the global Catholic community.
In a tribute on Monday, President Tinubu described the late pontiff as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions.” He noted that Pope Francis’s passing—shortly after Easter—signifies “a sacred return to his Maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.”
