President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned to Abuja after attending the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting held in Rome, Italy.
The Aqaba Process, launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, is a global counter-terrorism initiative co-chaired by Jordan and Italy.
The Rome edition focused on enhancing regional and international cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism, with special emphasis on West Africa.
The high-level meeting, which took place at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, brought together several world leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Also in attendance were Algeria’s Upper House President Azouz Nasri, as well as delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, alongside special envoys and security experts.
During 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.
The Nigerian leader also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss religious harmony in Nigeria and address disinformation campaigns misrepresenting the country as intolerant of religious diversity.
Since its inception, the Aqaba Process has convened 33 meetings at different levels—ranging from Heads of State summits to expert sessions—built around three key pillars: prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in counterterrorism efforts.
Bello Wakili
