Olayiwola Matthew
President Bola Tinubu returns to Abuja today after participating in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting in Rome, Italy.
The Aqaba Process is a counter-terrorism initiative launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015. It is co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of Italy.
The Rome edition focused on strengthening regional and international collaboration in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, with particular attention to West Africa.
The high-level meeting was held on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome. Many heads of State and Government attended, including King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House, delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, special envoys, and security experts were also in attendance.
The meeting was held behind closed doors.
On the sidelines of the event, President Tinubu held bilateral meetings with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos.
President Tinubu also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss religious harmony in Nigeria. The meeting addressed the widespread disinformation campaigns that falsely portray the country as intolerant of religious diversity.
Since its establishment in 2015, the Aqaba Process has convened 33 meetings at various levels, from Heads of State summits to technical expert sessions. It is built on three core pillars: prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in counterterrorism efforts.