Akpabio Heads Nigeria’s Delegation to Pope Francis’ Funeral

 Senate President Godswill Akpabio led a high-profile Nigerian delegation to Vatican City for the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, 2025, representing President Bola Tinubu, who sent a letter of condolence to the Acting Head of the Vatican, per Premium Times. 

The five-member team, announced by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga on April 25, included Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese, and Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama of Abuja Diocese, per National Accord Newspaper. Pope Francis, aged 88, died of a stroke on April 21, just after Easter Sunday celebrations, ending a 12-year papacy marked by advocacy for the poor, according to Reuters.

The delegation’s presence underscored Nigeria’s 20% Catholic population, with 7 million new converts in 2024, per BBC. Tinubu, in a statement, called Francis a “humble servant of God” and “tireless champion of the poor,” noting his death’s timing as a “sacred return” post-Resurrection, per Leadership.

 The funeral, held at St. Peter’s Basilica, drew global leaders, with Akpabio received by Vatican protocol chief Bishop Javier Domingo Fernandez Gonzalez, per The Star. Nigeria’s 26% inflation and 46% poverty rate, per the IMF and World Bank, framed the delegation’s call for Francis’ unity-focused legacy to inspire governance reforms.