Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to the Vatican for the papal inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, describing it as an ‘insult to Christianity’ and a mere product of political lobbying.
In an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Lawal questioned the significance of Tinubu’s attendance at the event, stating that such invitations can often be secured through lobbyists with the right financial incentives.
President Tinubu had earlier joined other global leaders at the Vatican City to witness the historic inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
He was seen exchanging pleasantries with the pontiff in a moment captured and widely shared by the media.
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However, Lawal dismissed the optics of the event, asserting that it holds little relevance to Nigeria’s Christian community and should not be seen as a diplomatic milestone.
“You know that going to see the Pope is just a matter of your lobby. How well you can lobby, how many friends you have out there in the Vatican that can lobby for you. So, it is not as if it’s a major achievement to visit the Pope on his inauguration. It can be arranged in advance by lobbyists, probably with the correct inducement. So, Bola Tinubu going to visit the Pope is a non issue,” he said.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the Vatican City, saying it underscores what he described as the unfairness of the Muslim-Muslim ticket that brought Tinubu to power.
Speaking during an interview, Lawal said the President’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV further validates the concerns of many Nigerian Christians who view the Muslim-Muslim leadership as a disregard for religious balance.
He argued that a Muslim president leading a delegation of prominent Christians to meet the Pope sends the wrong message, calling it inappropriate and insensitive to the country’s religious diversity.
According to Lawal, Tinubu would likely not have attended the Vatican event had his running mate been a Christian. He described the current leadership structure as a “lopsided and unjust arrangement,” reiterating his long-held position that the 2023 presidential ticket alienated Nigeria’s Christian population.
He said, “It reinforces my earlier belief that the Muslim-Muslim ticket is an insult to Christianity, had there a senior a Christian as a vice president. It’s only expected that he will be the one to represent the government. But now in Nigeria, we have a so-called Muslim visiting the Pope, leading a delegation of and Catholics, eminent Catholics, to the Vatican. So it proves the fact that a Muslim, Muslim ticket is an unfair arrangement.”
