By Alade Adisa
President Bola Tinubu on Friday held a closed-door meeting with the nation’s service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The meeting reportedly aimed to tackle the resurgence of insurgency in some parts of the country and inter-tribal hostilities in other regions.
The security chiefs are expected to brief the President on ongoing efforts to address insecurity nationwide.
The meeting came ahead of the President’s scheduled trip to Rome on Saturday for the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV, following an official invitation from the Vatican.
In attendance were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, among others.
In his formal invitation, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, underscored the importance of President Tinubu’s presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and a world plagued by numerous tensions and conflicts.”
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s, has often described Nigeria as “particularly dear” to him.
The President will be accompanied by a high-profile delegation, including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, 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 pontiff will be formally installed during a grand ceremony at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, May 18, following his election by the College of Cardinals, 27 days after the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
