President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a five-member delegation to represent Nigeria at the final burial rites of American civil rights icon, Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Jackson, a renowned activist and former U.S. presidential candidate, passed away on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84 in Chicago.
Leading the Nigerian delegation is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
Other members 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.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Presidentās Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the delegation will formally deliver President Tinubuās message of condolences to the Jackson family.
In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as āa great friend of Nigeria and Africa.ā
āHe 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,ā the President stated.
The burial programme began on February 26 with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago. Services were also scheduled in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., including a lying-in-state at the South Carolina Statehouse from March 1 to 5.
A āPeopleās Celebrationā will be held on March 6 at the House of Hope in Chicago, followed by a private homegoing service on March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Tinubu sends delegation to honour late activist, Jesse Jackson
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