President Bola Tinubu has delegated the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to lead Nigeria’s delegation to Pope Francis’s burial in Vatican City on Saturday, April 26, 2025.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday.
Onanuga said the President’s decision for Akpabio to lead Nigeria’s delegation to Pope Francis’s burial is a show of respect for the late pontiff’s global legacy.
The five-member delegation includes prominent figures such as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji; Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Ayua Kaigama.
The team is expected to deliver Tinubu’s condolence letter to the Acting Head of the Vatican, expressing Nigeria’s sympathy for the passing of Pope Francis, who died on April 21, 2025, at age 88, following Easter Sunday celebrations.
The statement reads in part: “The delegation will formally deliver a letter conveying President Tinubu’s sympathy and condolences on Pope Francis’ passing to the Acting Head of the Vatican.
“On Monday, President Tinubu joined the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide to mourn the death of Pope Francis, who he described as a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions.’”
The Nigerian delegation, led by Akpabio, joins world leaders such as Argentina’s President Javier Milei, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron in paying their respects at St. Peter’s Square.
His funeral, expected to draw over 130 foreign delegations and up to 200,000 mourners, will be a significant global event.
Follow live updates here as Pope Francis’s burial and succession unfolds.
