Senate President Godswill Akpabio will head Nigeria’s official delegation to Vatican City for the burial of Pope Francis scheduled for Saturday.
This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who noted that the five-member delegation was approved by President Bola Tinubu.
Other members of the delegation include 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.
Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, barely a day after participating in the Easter Sunday celebrations at the Vatican.
According to Onanuga, the Nigerian delegation will deliver a formal letter of condolence from President Tinubu to the Acting Head of the Vatican, expressing the nation’s sympathy over the Pope’s demise.
