President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a five-member delegation to represent Nigeria at the final burial rites of American civil rights leader, activist, and former presidential candidate Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died at age 84 on February 17, 2026, in Chicago.
A State House press release issued on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, and signed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, named Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, as leader of the delegation.
Other members are:
– Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
– Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa
– Special Presidential Envoy for Global and Pan-African Affairs, Brian Browne
– Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye
The delegation is tasked with delivering President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria.
In an earlier tribute, Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as a steadfast ally of Nigeria and the African continent, praising his lifelong commitment to fighting apartheid and racial injustice.
“He was a moral voice and a formidable resistance to apartheid in South Africa,” Tinubu said.
“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.”
Jackson was a towering figure in the American civil rights movement and an outspoken advocate for African liberation causes, building strong ties with African leaders and movements throughout his career.
The burial programme began with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago — an organisation he founded to promote social change and economic empowerment — on February 26.
Additional services took place in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., with a lying-in-state at the South Carolina Statehouse scheduled from March 1–5.
A “People’s Celebration” is set for March 6 at the House of Hope in Chicago, followed by a private homegoing service on March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters.
President Tinubu’s decision to send a high-level delegation underscores Nigeria’s recognition of Jackson’s contributions to Africa’s freedom struggles and his enduring solidarity with the continent.
