President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrives in Abuja on Saturday after attending the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting in Rome, Italy,.
President Tinubu, whose aircraft touched down at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 7:30pm, had participated in the closed door meeting aimed at strengthening regional and international collaboration in combating terrorism and violent extremism, with special focus on West Africa.
The Aqaba Process is a counter-terrorism initiative launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015. It is co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of Italy.
The Rome edition focused on strengthening regional and international collaboration in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, with particular attention to West Africa.
The high level meeting held behind closed doors was held on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome.
Many heads of State and Government attended, including King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House, delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, special envoys, and security experts were also in attendance.
Since its establishment in 2015, the Aqaba Process has convened 33 meetings at various levels, from Heads of State summits to technical expert sessions. It is built on three core pillars: prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in counterterrorism efforts
Bilateral Meetings
On the sidelines of the event, President Tinubu held bilateral meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that President Tinubu also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss religious harmony in Nigeria.
The meeting addressed the widespread disinformation campaigns that falsely portray the country as intolerant of religious diversity.
President Tinubu was received on arrival by senior government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike