President Bola Tinubu has described Pope Leo XIV’s installation during his reign as Nigeria’s leader as historic.

This was contained in a statement issued by the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga on Sunday

Speaking in Rome during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference on the sidelines of the inauguration mass for Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, President Tinubu expressed his delight to be in power when a new Pope was installed.

The president stressed that Nigeria’s diversity should be harnessed to create prosperity for the citizenry.

” If we use our diversity not for adversity but for prosperity, the country’s hope is stability and progress,” he said

The Catholic bishops were part of President Tinubu’s delegation to attend Pope Leo XIV’s installation mass on Sunday.

Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, thanked President Tinubu for facilitating their visits to the Vatican to bury the late Pope Francis and witness the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.

According to him, the development signalled a new era of a more robust relationship between the President and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“You are always there for us. Now that you have come to the Vatican, whenever we have our conference in Nigeria, we will also invite you, and we look forward to interfacing with you just as you were able to do with the Holy Father,” he said.