President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed a five-person delegation to represent Nigeria at the burial of American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson.
Jackson, a renowned activist and former U.S. presidential candidate, died on February 17, 2026, in Chicago at the age of 84.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the delegation will be led by George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Other members of the delegation include Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy; Brian Browne, Special Presidential Envoy for Global and Pan-African Affairs; and Sola Enikanolaye, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
The delegation is expected to deliver President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family on behalf of the Nigerian government and people.
In an earlier tribute, Tinubu described Jackson as a steadfast supporter of Africa and a powerful moral voice in the global struggle for justice.
The president noted that Jackson played a key role in mobilising international support against apartheid in South Africa and actively campaigned for the release of Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the African National Congress during the apartheid era.
The burial programme for the late civil rights icon began on February 26 with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago.
Memorial services are scheduled in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., including a lying-in-state at the South Carolina Statehouse between March 1 and March 5.
A “People’s Celebration” 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 headquarters.
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