President Bola Tinubu is set to return to Abuja today after participating in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting in Rome, Italy, the Presidency has confirmed.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga announced the return in a statement on Saturday.
The Aqaba Process, a counter-terrorism initiative launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan and co-chaired with Italy, focuses on strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism and violent extremism, with particular emphasis on West Africa.
The Rome meeting took place on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art and was attended by numerous world leaders, including King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Delegations from Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, along with special envoys and security experts, were also present. The discussions were held behind closed doors.
On the sidelines, President Tinubu held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Meloni and Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs to U.S. President Donald Trump. He also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to promote religious harmony in Nigeria and counter disinformation portraying the country as intolerant of religious diversity.
Since its creation, the Aqaba Process has held 33 meetings ranging from Heads of State summits to expert-level sessions, focusing on three main pillars: prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in counterterrorism efforts.
