Reno: Tinubu is Catholic’s Best Friend

Nigeria's ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has lauded President Bola Tinubu, calling him the Catholic community's "best friend." Omokri pointed to Tinubu's attendance at the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City on May 18, 2025, as a historic gesture demonstrating his commitment to the global Catholic family and the Roman Catholic community in Nigeria.

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Since October 1, 1960, when Nigeria gained Independence from Great Britain, five different Popes have been coronated in the Vatican City, including Pope Paul VI in 1963, Pope John Paul I in 1978, Pope John Paul II in 1978, Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, Pope Francis in 2013, and Pope Leo XIV in 2025. And the only time a Nigerian leader was physically present in the Vatican to honour a Pontiff at his inauguration, and the global Catholic family at their celebration, was on Sunday, May 18, 2025, when His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, attended the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

Omokri stated that since Nigeria's independence in 1960, no other Nigerian leader has been physically present in the Vatican to honor a Pontiff at his inauguration. "That act by the President was to demonstrate to the Roman Catholic Community in Nigeria that they have no better friend than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu," he said.

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That act by the President was to demonstrate to the Roman Catholic Community in Nigeria that they have no better friend than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Omokri, whose family traces its Catholic roots in Nigeria back to 1570, emphasized the historical significance of Catholicism in the Iwere (now Warri) region. He noted that his ancestor, Olu Oyenakpagha, was the first in West Africa to request Roman Catholic priests from the Vatican. "Globally, you cannot be more Catholic than the Pope, and locally, you cannot be more Catholic than the people of Iwere," Omokri remarked.

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Globally, you cannot be more Catholic than the Pope, and locally, you cannot be more Catholic than the people of Iwere.

From this historical standpoint, Omokri asserted that President Tinubu has extended a greater hand of fellowship to the Body of Christ, particularly the Roman Catholic Community, than any leader before him. He believes that Tinubu will promote peaceful religious coexistence and mutual prosperity for all Nigerians.

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And from that historical standpoint of 456 years of Roman Catholicism in Iwere, which has the oldest Catholic Church building in Nigeria, Saint Anthony’s, built in 1692, I make bold to say that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended the right hand of fellowship to the Body of Christ in general and the Roman Catholic Community in particular, more so than any leader before him, and in this President, the Catholic Church has a friend who will promote peaceful religious coexistence and mutual prosperity for all Nigerians.