By Abiola Olawale
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio arrived in Vatican City, Rome, Italy, on Friday to represent Nigeria at the lying-in-state of His Holiness Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
It was gathered that Akpabio, who is leading a high-powered five-member Nigerian delegation, went straight to pay his final respect to Pope Francis, whose coffin is inside St. Peter’s Basilica, where thousands have gathered to honour the late pontiff.
The Senate President joined global dignitaries, including the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, in mourning the loss of the first Latin American pope.
This comes as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu delegated 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.
