President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Abuja after a week away in Rome, the capital of Italy, where he had taken part in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government meeting.
President Tinubu, whose aircraft touched down at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 7:30pm, had participated in the high-level meeting aimed at strengthening regional and international collaboration in combating terrorism and violent extremism, with special focus on West Africa.
The meeting was hosted at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rome.
The Aqaba Process, launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, is co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of Italy.
Since its inception, it has convened 33 meetings across different levels, from technical expert sessions to summits of Heads of State and Government, with its agenda built around prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in counterterrorism efforts.
The Rome session was attended by several world leaders, including King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Algeria’s Upper House President, Azouz Nasri, as well as delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, joined the deliberations, which were held behind closed doors.
On the sidelines of the conference, President Tinubu held a series of bilateral meetings—first with Prime Minister Meloni on enhancing Nigeria–Italy economic and security cooperation; then with Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump on Arab and African Affairs, who reaffirmed Washington’s support for Nigeria’s efforts to resolve internal conflicts and fight terrorism.
The Nigerian leader also met privately with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, where discussions centred on promoting religious harmony and addressing disinformation campaigns that falsely portray Nigeria as intolerant of faith diversity.
President Tinubu was received on arrival by senior government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.