President Tinubu Returns to Abuja After Attending Aqaba Process Meeting in Rome
President Bola Tinubu returned to Abuja on Saturday following his participation in the high-level Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government meeting held in Rome, Italy.
The Aqaba Process is a global counter-terrorism initiative launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan. It is co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of Italy, and focuses on fostering stronger regional and international cooperation to combat terrorism and violent extremism—this year with particular emphasis on West Africa.
The Rome edition of the meeting took place on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art. It brought together several world leaders, including King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Other participants included Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House, as well as delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan. Special envoys and security experts were also in attendance. The session was held behind closed doors.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu also held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event. These included discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Additionally, President Tinubu met with Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, to address issues of religious harmony in Nigeria. Their talks focused on countering false narratives that portray the country as intolerant of religious diversity.
Since its inception in 2015, the Aqaba Process has convened 33 meetings at various levels — from heads of state summits to technical expert sessions. The initiative is built on three core pillars: prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in global counter-terrorism efforts.
