By Mfonobong Ekott
May 20, 2025
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 he was received by a delegation of senior government officials.
Among those who welcomed the President were 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 arrived in Italy on Saturday at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport and was at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Leo’s installation as the Bishop of Rome and the 267th head of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a video 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 in attendance at the installation mass, including United States Vice President J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, all of whom exchanged greetings with the new pontiff.
Formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, elected May 8, used the occasion of 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 called on Nigerian leaders and citizens to harness the country’s diversity as a source of strength, rather than division, in order to foster 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.
See photos from Tinubu’s return to the country below:
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