President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has constituted a five-member delegation to represent Nigeria at the final burial rites of American civil rights icon, Jesse Jackson, who passed away on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84 in Chicago.
The delegation, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, will formally deliver the President’s message of condolences to the Jackson family on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria.
Other members of the delegation include the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; the Special Presidential Envoy for Global and Pan-African Affairs, Brian Browne; and the Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye.
In a statement issued on March 4, 2026, by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), the Presidency said the delegation’s participation underscores Nigeria’s recognition of Jackson’s enduring contributions to civil rights and global justice.
In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described the late cleric and activist as “a great friend of Nigeria and Africa.”
“He was a moral voice and a formidable resistance to apartheid in South Africa. He played a leading role in the campaign for the release from prison of Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders. He won critical support for sanctions against the then apartheid government,” the President stated.
According to the statement, the burial programme for the civil rights leader commenced on February 26 with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago.
Services were also scheduled to hold in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., alongside a lying-in-state at the South Carolina Statehouse between March 1 and 5.
The final public event, described as a “People’s Celebration,” is slated for March 6 at the House of Hope in Chicago, followed by a private homegoing service on March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
The Presidency noted that Nigeria’s participation reflects the longstanding ties between the late civil rights leader and the African continent, as well as the country’s solidarity with the global struggle for justice, equality, and human dignity.
