President at Pope’s inauguration mass •Leo XIV pledges peace in the world
Nigeria’s diversity should be harnessed to create prosperity for the people, the President said yesterday in Rome, Italy.

He spoke during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference on the sidelines of the inauguration mass for Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was among the 30 heads of state/government who witnessed the official coming into office of Pope Leo XIV, who was voted as the 267th Pontiff by the cardinals on May 8.

According to his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the President said: “If we use our diversity not for adversity but for prosperity, the country’s hope is stability and progress.”

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria President Archbishop Lucius Ugorji expressed appreciation to the President for facilitating their visit to Rome for the burial of the late Pope Francis and the installation of his successor.

Ugorji, who is the Archbishop of Owerri, said: “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.”

Other clerics at the meeting include Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.

At another meeting with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the President reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance and cooperation in a world increasingly challenged by religious and ideological polarisation.

“Our dialogue was marked by a spirit of fraternity and a shared vision for the future. We discussed common values such as peace, mutual respect, and global solidarity,” President Tinubu wrote about the meeting on his verified X handle, @officialABAT.

He used the opportunity to convey Nigeria’s appreciation for the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill and its spiritual engagement with the Nigerian people, many of whom are adherents of the Catholic faith.

“I expressed Nigeria’s deep appreciation for the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill and reaffirmed our commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance and cooperation in an increasingly polarised world,” the President stated.

The interaction with Cardinal Parolin underscores the strategic importance Nigeria places on faith-based diplomacy, especially at a time when global events have accentuated divisions along religious and ethnic lines.

“As always, Nigeria remains a nation open to friendship, grounded in faith, and committed to building bridges of understanding across the world,” President Tinubu added.

The President’s visit to the Vatican comes at a time when Nigeria continues to play a prominent role in peacekeeping and religious reconciliation efforts across Africa.

His participation in the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV is seen as a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s engagement with the global faith community.

President Tinubu attended the Mass decked in a pair of suits with a tie to match.

He led a delegation including Minister of State Foreign Affairs Mrs Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu, Senior Special Assistant Foreign Affairs Ademola Oshodi, Onanuga, Archbishops Ugorji, Kaigama and Bishop Kukah.

The President told reporters after the mass that: “It’s consistent in the true sense of unity in diversity, and I’m greatly honoured.

“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”.

What Tinubu’s invitation means?

Also providing perspectives to President Tinubu’s participation at the event at the Vatican were Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Onanuga and Oshodi.

Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the President’s participation as a gesture rich with symbolism and diplomatic value.

“I think it’s very symbolic and indicative of the great solidarity that he continues to show, not just to the Muslim community, but to the entire Christian community.

“He has shown this solidarity with the millions of people who are of the Catholic faith in Nigeria by attending this Mass, being himself a Muslim,” she said.

She emphasised that the gesture not only speaks to President Tinubu’s domestic vision but also aligns with global aspirations for peace, especially those championed by the new Pontiff.

“This has also shown his commitment to the advancement of peace, not just in the African region, but globally, because this particular Pope is committed to the restoration of peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

“These are aspirations also shared by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” she said.

Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu also highlighted the personal connection that influenced the invitation.

“The Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Parolin, actually extended this invitation to President Bola Tinubu on behalf of the Pope, of the Augustinian Order, who had spent quite a great deal of time in Nigeria.

“So he has a personal connection and affiliation to Nigeria, and it was quite important to the new Pontiff that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a country he has a great deal of fondness for, share this very special installation event with him,” she explained.

Onanuga stressed the President’s inclusive approach to governance, noting that President Tinubu’s actions consistently reflect a commitment to religious harmony.

“For me, what the President has shown is that he’s a man who is tolerant of all religions and who believes in interfaith harmony. He’s even demonstrated it by the kind of appointments he made.

“I read somewhere that 62 per cent of his cabinet members are Christians. That shows the kind of man he is,” Onanuga said.

Oshodi echoed similar sentiments, arguing that President Tinubu’s participation challenges outdated global perceptions about Nigeria’s religious landscape.

“It changes the misconception that Nigeria is not a free, fair place to worship for multiple religious faiths.

“It shows that a Muslim President can be accepted and is liberal enough to carry the whole country along,” Oshodi said.

According to him, the Vatican’s invitation to President Tinubu affirms Nigeria’s growing reputation as a country where religious freedom is upheld by leadership.

He said: “It changes the perception that Nigeria has this everlasting sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims.”

“It shows that the Vatican, the papal authority, can see it fit to invite the President to represent the great country of Nigeria and show that freedom of religion is prevalent and recognised by the leadership of Nigeria.”

complicated, all you do is acquire premium domains for as low as $3700 and profit as much as $65,000. Click here to start. Be sure to ask for evidence.

….Thousands to be hired, trained, equipped

…..CDS: we’re deploying fresh strategies

The Federal Government is set to take the battle against terrorists and bandits to the forests.

The plan is to reclaim vast forestlands from criminal elements.

There are 1,129 documented forests.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment and deployment of forest guards.

The initiative, according to Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr. Sunday Dare, is intended to flush out terrorists and criminal gangs who have used forests as havens.

Dare, in a post on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, said the recruitment drive will be carried out by the federal and state governments.

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Ministry of Environment will provide oversight, he said.

According to him, the President directed that the forest guards be professionally trained and properly armed to meet the security challenges within the country’s forests, many of which have been exploited by kidnappers, bandits, and insurgents in recent years.

President Tinubu, Dare added, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to securing every inch of Nigerian territory, declaring that no part of the country would be abandoned to lawlessness.

“To secure the country’s forests, President Tinubu has approved the establishment of forest guards to secure Nigeria’s 1,129 forests.

“Thousands of young Nigerians are expected to be employed for the initiative.

“President Tinubu reiterated that his administration will not surrender any part of Nigeria’s territory to criminals, vowing to take back the forests,” the statement said.

This latest security initiative is part of the Tinubu Administration’s broader strategy to address the root causes of insecurity while simultaneously providing employment opportunities.

The recruitment process is expected to begin soon, with details on application and training to be jointly released by the supervising agencies, it was learnt.

The initiative, described as laudable, is also seen as a way of complementing existing security operations and environmental protection strategies.

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) hailed the initiative, describing it as a bold step towards ending the insecurity ravaging forested regions, according to a statement by its Chairman, Isaac Abrak.

It cautioned against the politicisation of the guards’ recruitment.

Also, the Arewa Think Tank (ATT) said it was hopeful that the forest guards would boost security.

In a statement by its Convener, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, it said: “We must say with the air of pride and satisfaction that we now have a President who is very close to the people, who does not detach himself from the people he is governing, who is feeling the pulse of the nation and providing remedy to it.

“We must also say that this move by Mr. President is very unprecedented and creative. We urge him to keep it up for the benefit of the people.

“We advise that the recruitment of these guards should be a collaborative security effort between the federal and state governments.”

Country Director/Principal Representative of German Initiative for Knowledge Transfer in Nigeria, Obinna Ichita, believes the forest guards will help to curb escalating insecurity across Nigeria.

Ichita, the 2023 deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia, said that by this move, the President had further demonstrated a genuine interest in swiftly addressing the security challenges.

He is hopeful that the forest guards will flush out those suspected foreign elements and their local collaborators, who hide in forests across the country to kidnap and kill innocent people.

Yesterday, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the renewed threats by Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) should not be a cause of great concern.

Boko Haram and ISWAP have launched attacks on some military formations and communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in the Northeast.

General Musa led other security chiefs on an assessment visit to the Theatre Command North East ‘Operation Hadin Kai’.

He visited Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, where multiple explosions occurred at the Armoury due to heat waves.

The CDS told reporters: “The pockets of renewed attacks should not be a cause of concern as the Nigerian Military and other security agencies are on top of the situation.

“Security is not a one-man business. Let me appeal to all and sundry to key into the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP, banditry, kidnapping and all other forms of criminality for peace and development of our dear country.

“The Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is very much committed to bringing lasting peace and development in all nooks and crannies.

“What we are witnessing here is an eclipse caused by pressure on terrorists in the Sahel region, forcing them to increase attacks in Nigeria, especially around the porous borders of the Lake Chad Basin.

“We are working diligently to address these challenges.

“During my recent trip to Russia, Nigeria maintained a non-aligned stance but engaged with key stakeholders ready to partner with us in this fight.

“We have procured more sophisticated weapons which will soon be deployed alongside new strategies to end the madness of terrorism.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will this weekend travel to Rome at the invitation of the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, to attend the historic inaugural mass of the new Pontiff.

The solemn ceremony, which marks the formal beginning of the Papacy of Pope Leo XIV, will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

The event is expected to draw Heads of State, diplomats, religious leaders and dignitaries from around the world.

Tinubu will depart Abuja on Saturday, May 17, and is scheduled to return to Nigeria on Tuesday, May 20.

According to a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the invitation to President Tinubu was conveyed through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.

In the message, Pope Leo XIV emphasised the symbolic significance of the Nigerian leader’s presence at “this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”

The Pontiff added a personal note, recalling his time in Nigeria: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”

Tinubu’s delegation includes a mix of government officials and senior Catholic clergy, underscoring Nigeria’s religious and diplomatic ties with the Vatican.

Among those accompanying the President are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, who is also the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.

The Vatican Conclave of Cardinals elected Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis on April 21.

A seasoned theologian and Vatican administrator, the new Pope is expected to steer the Church through complex global challenges, including geopolitical tensions, migration, poverty, and religious extremism.

Nigeria, home to one of Africa’s largest Catholic populations, has long maintained close diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

Tinubu’s participation in the Papal inauguration not only affirms this relationship but also signals Nigeria’s engagement with global efforts for peace, dialogue, and religious harmony.