President Bola Tinubu has approved the constitution of an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate a befitting state burial for former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari died in London on Sunday, July 13, at 82, following a prolonged illness.
Announcing the decision in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the committee would work in collaboration with the Katsina State Government and the family of the late president to ensure a dignified programme of events.
The committee is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
Other members include the ministers of finance and the economy, budget and economic planning, defence, information and national orientation, and works.
It also includes the ministers of interior, Federal Capital Territory, housing and urban development, the state for health and social welfare, art, culture, and the creative economy.
The committee also includes the national security adviser, special adviser to the President on policy and coordination, senior special assistant to the President on political and other matters, and the Inspector General of Police, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Chief of Defence Staff.
The Office of the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office (GSO), will serve as the secretariat to the committee.
As part of the national mourning, President Tinubu has also directed all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to open condolence registers for members of the public to pay their respects.
Additional condolence registers will be opened at Nigerian embassies and missions abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.
Meanwhile, an FG delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently in London to finalise documentation and logistics for the repatriation of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s remains.Acting on behalf of President Tinubu, Shettima also paid a condolence visit to the late president’s widow, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, and his ailing nephew, Mamman Daura.
According to a presidential aide, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President was accompanied by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum; the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, and Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia.
Body Arrives On Tuesday
Buhari’s body is expected to arrive in Katsina by noon on Tuesday.
A military ceremony will be held at the airport, after which President Tinubu will personally receive the remains.
The body will then be transported to Daura for the Jana’iza (funeral prayer) and interment at his residence at 2 pm, in line with Islamic rites.
Twenty-five Federal Executive Council members have been directed to attend the burial and remain in Daura for the third-day prayers on Wednesday.
Tinubu declared a seven-day national mourning period from Sunday, July 13, with flags flying at half-staff nationwide.
A public holiday has also been declared for Tuesday to honour the late president.
Consequently, the special Federal Executive Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed to Friday, July 18.
Back in Nigeria, mourners have begun visiting Buhari’s Daura residence to pay their respects, with increased security observed around the Emirate Council.
Meanwhile, arrangements continue at the London clinic for the release of his remains.
Tributes have poured in from across Nigeria and the international community, celebrating Buhari as a man of integrity and statesmanship. He served as a military ruler from 1984 to 1985 and later as a civilian president from 2015 to 2023.
