President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday for Rome, Italy, to attend the Aqaba Process heads of state and government-level meeting—an international counter-terrorism initiative—while Nigeria continues to grapple with worsening domestic security challenges.
The trip was confirmed in a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, who described the Aqaba Process as a platform launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan to address global terrorism. Co-chaired by Jordan and Italy, this year’s meeting will focus on the security crisis in West Africa.
According to Onanuga, the gathering will bring together African leaders, intelligence chiefs, and military officials to discuss the expansion of terrorist networks, the crime-terror nexus, and the overlap between Sahel-based insurgency and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
However, critics have questioned the timing and relevance of the President’s foreign engagement, pointing to Nigeria’s own deteriorating security landscape. From banditry and kidnapping in the North to rising unrest in the South-East and economic instability nationwide, many argue that the administration has yet to demonstrate effective leadership at home.
“The irony is glaring,” said one analyst. “While the President travels abroad to discuss West Africa’s security, Nigerians continue to live in fear under his watch.”
The statement also noted that Tinubu will hold bilateral talks with other leaders to explore solutions to regional threats. Yet, observers remain skeptical, citing a lack of tangible outcomes from previous international summits attended by Nigerian presidents.
Accompanying Tinubu are key security and foreign affairs officials, including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Ojukwu, Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency Mohammed Mohammed.
With Nigeria’s security architecture under strain and public confidence waning, critics argue that high-level meetings abroad offer little comfort to citizens facing daily threats. The President’s trip, they say, risks appearing more symbolic than strategic—another diplomatic photo-op while urgent domestic crises remain unresolved.
