President Bola Tinubu will depart the nation’s capital, Abuja, for Rome, the capital of Italy, tomorrow on the invitation of Pope Leo XIV.
It also emerged yesterday that essentially, 62 per cent of all Tinubu’s appointments are Christians, according to data released to THISDAY by the presidency.
This has put paid to initial fears that the 2023 Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket would grossly lead to the under-representation of Christians in the current administration as well as accelerate the ‘Islamisation’ of the country.
This reality may help ameliorate the perception that Nigeria is a country where Christians are routinely persecuted.
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa recently approved measures urging President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Nigeria due to the widespread persecution of Christians, following a congressional hearing on March 12.
Also, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently called for Nigeria to be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to deteriorating religious freedom conditions in 2024.
In its annual report released in March 2025, USCIRF urged the U.S. State Department under the Trump administration to designate Nigeria, along with Afghanistan, India, and Vietnam, as additional CPCs.
The fact that 62 percent of Tinubu’s appointees are Christians is significant and may help in the perception index.
Accompanied by top Catholic leaders, Tinubu, according to a release issued yesterday by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, will attend a solemn mass marking the beginning of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be formally installed to the exalted office on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
The Conclave of Cardinals elected him 27 days after his predecessor, Pope Francis, died on April 21.
In the Papal invitation sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV underscored the need for Tinubu’s physical presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts”.
Pope Leo further stressed, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
Tinubu’s entourage would include Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop of Owerri and President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; and Alfred Martins of Lagos.
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, will also be on the president’s entourage. The president is expected back in Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
Pope Leo XIV, born in Chicago in 1955, will be formally installed as the 267th pope during an inaugural Mass on Sunday, May 18, at 10 am local time at St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.
The first American-born pope and a naturalised Peruvian citizen, he is also the first Augustinian to hold the papacy. His election on May 8 marked a historic moment, having succeeded Pope Francis.
Known for his centrist views, Pope Leo XIV is believed to largely align with his predecessor’s progressive stance on social issues. He emphasises peace, dialogue, and humility in the priesthood.
During the installation, he will receive the fisherman’s ring and the pallium, symbols of papal authority.
The mass will be attended by world and religious leaders, following his first Sunday blessing on May 11, where he called for peace in Ukraine and Gaza.
