President Bola Tinubu returned to Abuja on Saturday, October 18, 2025, after attending the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting held in Rome, Italy.
The Aqaba Process, an international counter-terrorism platform established in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, is jointly chaired by the Governments of Jordan and Italy.
The Rome session focused on strengthening regional and global cooperation in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, with particular attention to West Africa.
The meeting, which took place on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, was attended by King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Other participants included Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House; delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan; as well as special envoys and security experts. The discussions were held behind closed doors.
READ ALSO: Tinubu’s Economic Reforms Saved Nigeria From Drowning — Uzodimma
On the sidelines of the summit, 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.
He also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss fostering religious harmony in Nigeria and countering misinformation portraying the country as intolerant of religious diversity.
Since its inception in 2015, the Aqaba Process has convened 33 meetings at different levels, from Heads of State summits to technical expert sessions, with a focus on prevention, coordination, and operational collaboration in global counterterrorism efforts.