Tinubu Sets Up Committee For Buhari’s State Burial

President Bola Tinubu has approved the constitution of an inter-ministerial committee to plan and coordinate a state burial for late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on Sunday in London after a prolonged illness.

According to a statement by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) on Monday, the committee will be chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

The committee is charged with organising a befitting state funeral for the late former President, whose contributions to Nigeria’s political and military history span over five decades.

Other members of the committee include the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Defence, Information and National Orientation, Works, Interior, Federal Capital Territory, Housing and Urban Development, and Art, Culture and Creative Economy, as well as the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare.

Also on the committee are the National Security Adviser, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political and Other Matters, the Inspector General of Police, the 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) at the OSGF will serve as the secretariat to the committee.

In a related directive, President Tinubu has ordered all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to open condolence registers at the entrances of their offices, allowing Nigerians to pay tribute to the late statesman.

For members of the diplomatic corps and the general public, a central condolence register has been opened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Further briefings on the funeral programme are expected to be released by the committee in the coming days.

Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1984 to 1985 and later as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023, will be accorded full state honours as preparations continue for his burial in Daura, Katsina State on Tuesday.

Tinubu had earlier declared a national mourning period of seven days, during which flags are to fly at half-staff nationwide.