By Muhammad Mamman
President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja following his participation in the high-level Aqaba Process meeting on counterterrorism, held in Rome, Italy.
The summit, which took place on Wednesday, 15 October, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, focused on boosting regional and international cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism — with particular emphasis on West Africa.
The Aqaba Process, launched in 2015 by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, is co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian government. Since its inception, it has convened 33 meetings involving heads of state, policymakers, and security experts. The initiative is anchored on three pillars: prevention, coordination, and closing operational gaps in the global fight against terrorism.
Wednesday’s meeting was held behind closed doors and attended by several world leaders, including King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Also present were Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House, and delegations from countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan.
According to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu also held bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the summit. He met with Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump on Arab and African Affairs.
In addition, Tinubu held talks with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Their meeting focused on promoting religious harmony in Nigeria and countering disinformation that misrepresents the country as intolerant of religious diversity.
