President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after attending the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting held in Rome, Italy, where world leaders gathered to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.
In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the trip reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to global and regional security partnerships.
The Aqaba Process, launched by King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015 and co-chaired by the Governments of Jordan and Italy, focuses on enhancing international collaboration in counterterrorism and tackling violent extremism, particularly in West Africa.
The meeting, held on October 15 at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, had in attendance King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Presidents from Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Other dignitaries included Algeria’s Upper House President Azouz Nasri, as well as delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, alongside special envoys and security experts.
“The meeting was held behind closed doors,” the statement added, noting the sensitive nature of the discussions.
On the sidelines of the summit, President Tinubu held bilateral talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, with discussions centred on security and economic cooperation.
He also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, to discuss religious harmony in Nigeria and to address “disinformation campaigns that falsely portray the country as intolerant of religious diversity.”
