President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after participating in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting held in Rome, Italy.
The meeting, which took place on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, focused on strengthening regional and international cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism, with special emphasis on West Africa.
The Aqaba Process, launched in 2015 by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, is a global counter-terrorism initiative jointly chaired by Jordan and Italy. It serves as a platform for dialogue, coordination, and partnership among nations facing terrorism-related challenges.
Among the leaders who attended the Rome session were King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Algeria’s Upper House President, Azouz Nasri, as well as delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, also participated.
The closed-door session also drew special envoys and security experts from across the globe.
On the sidelines of the meeting, President Tinubu held bilateral discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump on Arab and African Affairs.
He also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, where both men discussed promoting religious harmony in Nigeria. According to the Presidency, Tinubu raised concerns about persistent disinformation portraying Nigeria as intolerant of religious diversity.
Since its inception, the Aqaba Process has hosted 33 meetings at various levels—from heads of state summits to technical expert sessions—built around three pillars: prevention, coordination, and bridging operational gaps in counter-terrorism efforts.
