By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.
Nigeria and her citizens require strong elite consensus in order for a reorientation of its national mentality to help in understanding things from the right perspective nor projecting the right values before the global audience!
I was still at the table labouring to separate journalism from politics, writing an article in honour of Dele Momodu’s birthday when my attention was drawn to news from the Vatican City and its implications for domestic politics. Politics is the platform upon which trivial things are elevated to headlines! to reduce the spiritual essence of a event in Rome to domestic politics of Nigeria.
On the 18th of May 2025, over 200,000 persons including 150 delegations led by dozens of World Leaders gathered at the Vatican City for the investiture of a new Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV. Our own President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was one among the dozens of World Leaders, leading the Nigeria delegation amongst the 150 from around the world! The grand event was for Pope Leo XIV to be formally celebrated as the Bishop of Rome cum the global leader of Christendom.
But trust Nigeria, the script of the journey to Rome was written by the news of what transpired at the funeral of the immediate predecessor of Pope Leo XIV: of all issues of critical importance to our Nigeria, the attendance of the event in Rome by President Bola Tinubu has been taken to an inconsequential height of political relevance! rather than the recognition and honour bestowed on Nigeria for the invitation and the opportunity to grace the occasion.
The Vatican City hosted two significant events that attracted global attention St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, 26th April 2025 for the funeral of the immediate past Pope and that of Sunday, 18th May 2025 for a new Pope, Leo XIV. The government of Nigerian was invited to both events: for the funeral, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Christian and president of Nigeria’s senate, led the delegation of the Nigeria Muslim/Muslim administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The US President, Donald Trump, led the delegation of his country to the Rome funeral event of 26th April 2025: invariably, this became the game changer incentives for leaders of other countries to attend the event of 18th May 2025 for the investiture of Pope Leo XIV, the new Christian Pontiff. This sparked the intense interest of administration handlers in Abuja to seek to harness political fruits in attending the Rome event of 18th May 2025 to which PBT ordinately latched on, to a parasitical proportion.
The photos ops of PBT with Peter Obi and Kayode Fayemi, Bishops Ugorji, Kaigama, Martins and Kukah, Pope Leo XIV and sundry personalities created a rewarding rare and novel harvest of both news and propaganda: did those people thinking for Peter Obi lured him to the Rome event to roost? Both Fayemi and Obi greeted PBT at the Rome event with the poignant words of ‘You are welcome to our Church, sir’ and PBT responded thus, ‘don’t forget that as the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed forces, I am the leader of the Nigerian delegation!’ What a script, what a delivery, through it all, Peter Obi was grinning from cheek to cheek! PBT has, no doubt, an upper hand over Obi at their attendance of Rome event.
We have read, seen and are still seeing all manner of propaganda materials emanating from the Rome event. Beyond the propaganda is the need to properly analyse and engage with the impact of the Rome event on the Nation!
The peak of every spiritual gathering is the moment of the message and particularly that this was going to be the first homily of Pope Leo XIV. His message should be the most important part of the event to all present and the global audience. The message of the Pope by divine providence was packaged as if by default, was for Nigeria.
God spoke to Nigeria but I hope We the Peoples including our delegation to Rome event were not too busy with politics to hear his voice! Pope Leo XIV delivered a profoundly moving sermon that made a heartfelt appeal for the world to journey together towards God by embracing “the poor, the suffering and the forgotten!”
The Rome event of 18th May 2025 was simply the inauguration of a new leadership similar to that of 29th May 2023 for PBT: at backdrop of looming 2027 election cycle, can we remind ourselves of pronouncement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his inauguration that “subsidy is gone” and how that has affected an increase in the number of “the poor, the suffering and the forgotten!” category of people that Pope Leo XIV called our attention to on his first day in office at his inauguration ceremony, and find zeal to join the Pope in the ministry to which we are all called?
The Pope has directly urged the leaders in Nigeria to reach out to show heartfelt concern for “the poor, the suffering and the forgotten” in our country so we can “journey together towards God”. Are there “poor, suffering and forgotten” people in Nigeria?
As of April 2025, approximately 47% of Nigerians live below the international poverty line of $2.15 per day, with over 106 million people in extreme poverty; thus, Nigeria accounts for 15% of the world’s poorest population with 75.5% of residents in the rural areas living in poverty. Factors such as inflation, stagnant wages, insecurity, and climate-related disasters have exacerbated the situation, pushing millions into poverty!
During the review period of 2025, Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations that suffer the incidence of poverty include rural dwellers, children, and the uneducated. About 75.5% of rural Nigerians live below the poverty line compared to 41.3% in urban areas. Children are disproportionately affected, with 67.5% experiencing multidimensional poverty, and, nearly 90% of rural children living in poverty. Education plays a significant role: 79.5% of adults without formal education are poor, while the rate drops to 25.4% among those with tertiary education. Overall, 63% of Nigerians or about 133 million people suffer the incidence of multi-dimensional poverty!
In Nigeria, the “forgotten” are marginalized groups often overlooked in national development efforts! They include persons with disabilities (PWDs), numbering over 29 million, with only 1% employed in the formal sector and 2% having access to education! Women and girls also face significant challenges; Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, with 576 deaths per 100,000 live births, and 43.4% of girls married before age 18! Additionally, rural communities like Refuge Island near Lagos lack basic amenities, highlighting the neglect of certain populations in the country’s growth narrative!
That is our realities from which we have been blinded by politics at its appurtenances! The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja at a function in Taraba State re-lived the excitement of all Christians in Nigeria particularly the Catholic by the presence of PBT of the Muslim/Muslim administration in Nigeria at the Rome event!; and, these were his words: “four of us Catholic Bishops were together with President Tinubu in Rome just last Sunday [18th May 2025] for the inauguration of the New Pope, and for me, that was a very significant gesture from a President who is a Muslim! A good sign on his part as a concrete inter-religious dialogue! Inter-religious dialogue doesn’t have to be theoretical. It has to be concrete – a dialogue of life. As a Moslem he went to an overwhelming Christian event and he was well received by the Pope which is so important”!
The audience of the Catholic Archbishop included former Vice President Abubakar Atiku seated next to the serving Vice President Kashim Shettima: the message of the clergy resonated with the body language of both politicians in a resounding disposition! The Archbishop is obviously apolitical and may mean no harm, but the victory of PBT for being at the Rome event was rubbed on the face of Atiku in the most painful way possible!
Inter-religious dialogue is a very important policy of the Vatican City, and it is ok, that the Archbishop re-echoed the policy of the government he represents!
Tinubu’s mastery of the Vatican political calculation and the precision with which it was strategically executed suggests that he has dumped the Pentecostals for the Catholic as the leading platform of political engagement with Christians in Nigeria. While the Catholic are the majority Christian group in Nigeria, particularly in the South East and the South South, the truth is, they are the most developed institution politically and is too early in the day to conclude the stake they will pick in 2027!
PBT and his team must not lose sight of the fact the votes of Christians that will decide 2027 is locked in the Middle Belt Region, especially Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi where terrorists seem to be having free days killing Christians for whatever their agenda is!
The Church Of Christ In Nations (COCIN) is home to about 65% of Christian population in Plateau State, next to them is ECWA and the Catholics with significant numbers. But COCIN will more likely lead the Fellowship of Churches of Christ In Nigeria (TEKAN) as the umbrella body of all Christian denominations in Northern Nigeria, founded in 1955. TEKAN will do well to serve the purpose of its creation and serve as the gathering tent of safety from threats to faith and its practice in Nigeria!
A concrete inter-religious dialogue of life can only be achieved if the denominations will unite to champion the protection of their members and not play politics with protection of lives and property which is the basic responsibility of government. Patronage of her leaders by politicians shouldn’t excite them if collective peace and prosperity is the goal!
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the C.E.O, Masterbuilder Communications.
Email:bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com
Facebook:Bolaji Akinyemi.
X:Bolaji O Akinyemi
Instagram:bolajioakinyemi
Phone:+2348033041236
