May 19, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to use their diversity for the country’s stability and rapid development.
The President spoke on Sunday in Rome when he received members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria. The bishops were part of President Tinubu’s delegation to attend Pope Leo XIV’s installation mass.
President Tinubu attended the Vatican event at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV, who described Nigeria as a nation “particularly dear” to him, having served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.
The Nigerian leader, who urged leaders to work for the betterment of the citizenry, described as historic, being the President of Nigeria when a new Pope was inaugurated in Rome.
Following the inaugural Mass, Tinubu told reporters that his participation aligned with his broader message of national unity, saying, “It is consistent in the true sense of unity in diversity, and I am greatly honoured. We have to continue to work on it—it’s a work in progress for the sake of our country and the continent as a whole.
“If we use our diversity not for adversity but for prosperity, the country’s hope is stability and progress”, he said.
Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, thanked President Tinubu for facilitating their visits to the Vatican to bury the late Pope Francis and witness the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
He said the development signalled a new era of a more robust relationship between the President and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
“You are always there for us. Now that you have come to the Vatican, whenever we have our conference in Nigeria, we will also invite you, and we look forward to interfacing with you just as you were able to do with the Holy Father”, he said.
Archbishops Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, attended the meeting with the President.
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