By Ayodele Oni
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio is leading Nigeria’s delegation to Vatican City for the funeral of His Holiness, Pope Francis, on Saturday.
He is to represent President Bola Tinubu. The Pontiff passed on Easter Monday.
Pope Francis, the revered Head of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Monday, April 21, 2025, at 88, just a day after appearing for Easter Sunday celebrations at the Vatican.
Other members of the delegation are the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama.
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.
President Tinubu had, on Monday, joined the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide to mourn the death of the Pontiff, who he described as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions.”
In the condolence message, President Tinubu remarked that Pope Francis’s death, coming just after the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, is a sacred return to his Maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.
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