RismadarVoice Reporters
March 4, 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a five-member delegation to represent Nigeria at the final burial rites of renowned American civil rights leader, Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84 in Chicago, United States.
Leading the delegation is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. Other members include the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador 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 to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye.
According to a release issued on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the delegation will formally deliver President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family on behalf of the Government and people of Nigeria.
In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described the late Reverend Jackson as “a great friend of Nigeria and Africa,” praising his lifelong commitment to justice, equality, and the global struggle against racial oppression.
“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.
Rev. Jackson, a former U.S. presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, was widely regarded as one of the most influential civil rights activists of his generation.
His advocacy extended beyond the United States, earning him recognition across Africa for his solidarity in anti-apartheid efforts and broader human rights campaigns.
The burial programme commenced on February 26 with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters 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 March 5.
A “People’s Celebration” of his life will be held on March 6 at the House of Hope in Chicago, while a private homegoing service is slated for March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
The Nigerian delegation is expected to participate in the scheduled activities and convey the nation’s solidarity with the Jackson family and the global community mourning the civil rights icon.
