Nigeria’s ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has described President Bola Tinubu as the Catholic community’s best friend, saying he was the only Nigerian president to ever attend the inauguration Mass of the Pope.
He said, “Since October 1, 1960, when Nigeria gained Independence from Great Britain, five different Popes have been coronated in the Vatican City, including Pope Paul VI in 1963, Pope John Paul I in 1978, Pope John Paul II in 1978, Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, Pope Francis in 2013, and Pope Leo XIV in 2025.
“And the only time a Nigerian leader was physically present in the Vatican to honour a Pontiff at his inauguration, and the global Catholic family at their celebration, was on Sunday, May 18, 2025, when His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, attended the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
“That act by the President was to demonstrate to the Roman Catholic Community in Nigeria that they have no better friend than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“My family is the oldest Catholic family in Nigeria, having accepted Roman Catholicism in 1570, and made it the State Religion of Iwere (now known as Warri). And our monarch, my ancestor, Olu Oyenakpagha, whose Roman Catholic baptismal name was Antonio Domingos, was the first person in West Africa to write to the Vatican requesting Roman Catholic priests for Iwere.
“Globally, you cannot be more Catholic than the Pope, and locally, you cannot be more Catholic than the people of Iwere.
“And from that historical standpoint of 456 years of Roman Catholicism in Iwere, which has the oldest Catholic Church building in Nigeria, Saint Anthony’s, built in 1692, I make bold to say that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended the right hand of fellowship to the Body of Christ in general and the Roman Catholic Community in particular, more so than any leader before him, and in this President, the Catholic Church has a friend who will promote peaceful religious coexistence and mutual prosperity for all Nigerians.”
Chuks Okocha
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