After FactCheckAfrica’s Report President Tinubu Deletes Misleading Post About Meeting Vatican’s Secretary of State
BY: Mustapha Lawal
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has deleted a social media post in which he claimed to have met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, following public backlash and a fact check investigation by FactCheckAfrica.
The now-deleted post, shared on Tinubu’s official social media handle on May 13, 2025, featured images of the Nigerian president with a Catholic official in Rome, accompanied by a caption stating he was “received by the Vatican Secretary of State.”
President Tinubu landed in Rome on Saturday ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass on Sunday. He shared pictures from his visit to the Vatican, stating that he received a warm welcome from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.
“Upon my arrival in Rome ahead of the solemn Mass marking the beginning of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, I was warmly received and graciously hosted to dinner by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State to the Vatican,” Tinubu wrote.
However, FactCheckAfrica’s detailed investigation published on May 14, titled “FACT-CHECK: Did the Vatican Secretary of State Receive President Tinubu in Rome?”, found no credible evidence that the meeting occurred as described. The fact-check, which has now surpassed 6,000 views, revealed that President Tinubu was not received by the Secretary of State to the Vatican; Cardinal Pietro Parolin, but by a Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church; Cardinal Kevin Farrell. FactCheckAfrica verified who was captured with Tinubu in his post and found multiple search results of Cardinal Kevin Farrell’s name as seen here, here and here.
The post’s deletion comes after days of growing criticism from Nigerian citizens, Catholic observers, and members of the diplomatic community, who questioned the veracity of the president’s claim and accused his media team of attempting to mislead the public.
“This kind of misrepresentation involving a respected member of religious institution like the Vatican is both diplomatically damaging and disrespectful,” one X user wrote, echoing thousands of similar sentiments online.
Many Nigerians also expressed concern over the credibility of their government’s communications, especially after the fact-check highlighted that Tinubu had met with Cardinal Kevin as shown in the photos accompanying the deleted post.
The presidency has yet to issue an official clarification or apology since the post was taken down. This incident adds to a growing list of disputed claims from Tinubu’s media team, further intensifying calls for greater transparency and accuracy in public communication from the presidency.
As at the time of this report, the Nigerian president and his team are yet to formally acknowledge the error. Meanwhile, FactCheckAfrica’s report continues to circulate widely online, serving as a key reference in holding public officials accountable for misinformation.
