President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a five-member delegation to represent him and Nigeria at the final burial rites of American civil rights leader, activist, and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson in the United States.
The delegation, led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, will join global dignitaries, diplomats, and civil society leaders to pay tribute to Jackson, who passed away at the age of 84 on February 17, 2026, in Chicago.
Other members of the team 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.
The delegation is tasked with conveying President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family and will participate in the funeral service as well as other memorial activities honoring his legacy.
In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described Reverend Jackson 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”, President Tinubu wrote.
The burial programme for the civil rights leader began on February 26, with a lying-in-state at Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago. Services in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., and a lying-in-state at the South Carolina Statehouse were scheduled for March 1-5.
On March 6, a “People’s Celebration” will take place at House of Hope in Chicago, followed by a private homegoing on March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
