Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other members of Nigeria’s official delegation have arrived the Vatican City for Pope Francis’ burial, which will take place on Saturday.
Akpabio is leading a five-member delegation appointed by President Bola Tinubu to represent Nigeria at the late pontiff’s funeral, who was the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The high-level Nigerian delegation includes Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu; President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji; Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Ayua Kaigama.
Sharing pictures on X on Friday, Akpabio wrote, “As the leader of Nigeria’s delegation to the burial ceremony of Pope Francis, I paid tribute to our departed Pope, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian people, at the lying-in-state of Pope Francis, inside St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.”