President Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria following his trip to Rome for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
He arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday evening, where senior government officials welcomed him.
The welcoming delegation included the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje.
The president landed in Italy on Saturday at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport and attended the Vatican on Sunday for Pope Leo’s installation as the Bishop of Rome and the 267th head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Read Also: Senate mandates 30% minimum value addition in raw materials processing
In a video shared on his official X handle, the president shook hands with the new pope and engaged in a brief conversation during the reception following the inaugural mass held at St. Peter’s Square.
Tinubu joined other world leaders at the installation mass, including United States Vice President J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, all of whom greeted the new pontiff.
Formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, elected May 8, used his inaugural mass to call for global solidarity, emphasising the need to end the exploitation of nature and the marginalisation of the poor.
While in Rome, Tinubu urged Nigerian leaders and citizens to use the country’s diversity as a strength, rather than a source of division, to promote national stability and rapid development.
The president also met with the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and a former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, during Pope Leo’s installation service.
