President Bola Tinubu has appointed the President of the Senate, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, to guide Nigeria’s delegation to Vatican Metropolis for the funeral of Pope Francis, scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025.

The delegation may even embody the Minister of State for Overseas Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Convention of Nigeria (CBCN); Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese; and Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama of the Abuja Diocese.

Pope Francis, the beloved chief of the Roman Catholic Church, handed away on Monday, April 21, 2025, on the age of 88, only a day after showing on the Vatican for Easter Sunday celebrations.

The Nigerian delegation will formally current a letter from President Tinubu providing condolences and sympathy to the Appearing Head of the Vatican in gentle of the Pope’s passing.

On Monday, President Tinubu joined Christians worldwide in mourning the Pope’s dying, remembering him as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding gentle for thousands and thousands.”

In his message of condolence, President Tinubu famous that Pope Francis’s dying, occurring simply after the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, marked a sacred return to his Maker, symbolizing a second of renewed hope for Christians world wide.