Meets Obi, Fayemi in Rome
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerians to use their diversity for the country’s stability and rapid development.
He spoke on Sunday in Rome when he received members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria. The President also issued a stirring call to leaders at all levels to work for the betterment of the citizenry.
President Tinubu, a Muslim, said, ” If we use our diversity not for adversity but for prosperity, the country’s hope is stability and progress.”
He described it as historic, beWe have to continue to work on it – it’s a work in progress for the sake of our country and the continent as a whole.
“We have to continue to work on it – it’s a work in progress for the sake of our country and the continent as a whole.”
He described it as historic being the President of Nigeria when a new Pope was inaugurated in Rome.
The Catholic bishops were part of President Tinubu’s delegation to attend Pope Leo XIV’s installation mass on Sunday.
Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, thanked President Tinubu for facilitating their visits to the Vatican to bury the late Pope Francis and witness the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
He said the development signalled a new era of a more robust relationship between the President and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
“You are always there for us. Now that you have come to the Vatican, whenever we have our conference in Nigeria, we will also invite you, and we look forward to interfacing with you just as you were able to do with the Holy Father,” he said.
Archbishops Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, attended the meeting with the President.
A hilarious moment from the event which underscored the President’s statement was when Tinubu unexpectedly met Labour Party presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi and former Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi both Catholics and Papal knights, who had traveled to Rome for the event.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who posted about the encounter on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Fayemi spotted the President seated with other dignitaries and urged Obi to join him in paying homage. Obi agreed.
Breaking the ice, Fayemi joked: “Mr. President, welcome to our church, and thank you for honouring the Pope with your presence.”
In his signature quick-witted style, President Tinubu replied, “I should be the one welcoming you and Peter. I’m the Head of the Nigerian Delegation.”
His remark reportedly drew laughter from Obi, who responded light-heartedly: “Yes, indeed. We are members of your delegation.
