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Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other members of Nigeria's official delegation have arrived in Vatican City for the burial ceremony of Pope Francis, scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025.
The Senate President is leading a five-member high-level delegation constituted by President Bola Tinubu to represent Nigeria at the funeral rites of the 88-year-old pontiff.
The Nigerian delegation consists of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji; the Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah; and the Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama.
According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the delegation will deliver a letter conveying Tinubu’s sympathy and condolences on the passing of Pope Francis to the Acting Head of the Vatican.
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![Vice President Kashim Shettima. [Facebook]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process//smp-images-production/pulse.ng/25112024/75845df6-b103-4a42-8bc2-6fc29a7c888f.jpg?operations=autocrop(340:210))
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Meanwhile, in a post on his Facebook page on Friday, Akpabio said he paid tribute to the departed Pope on behalf of the President and the Nigerian people.
“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,” he wrote.
Pope Francis drew his last breath on Monday, April 21, 2025, serving as the head of the Roman Catholic Church since 2013.
Tinubu, in a condolence message on Monday, joined the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide to mourn the demise of the Pope, whom he described as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions.”
ALSO READ: PHOTOS: Vatican releases images of Pope Francis' corpse
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