Senate President Godswill Akpabio will lead a high-level Nigerian delegation to Vatican City for the funeral of Pope Francis, the late head of the Roman Catholic Church, scheduled for Saturday.
The announcement was made on Friday through a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy.
President Tinubu approved the five-member delegation, which includes Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; 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.
According to the statement, the delegation will present a formal letter from President Tinubu expressing his condolences to the Acting Head of the Vatican.
Earlier in the week, President Tinubu joined Catholics and Christians across the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis. He hailed the Pontiff as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions.”
Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, just a day after presiding over Easter Sunday celebrations. President Tinubu described the Pope’s death, coming shortly after the commemoration of Christ’s resurrection, as symbolic of a sacred return to his Maker and a moment of renewed hope for Christians globally.
