President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate a state funeral for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in London after a prolonged illness.
A statement issued on Monday by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) announced that the committee will be chaired by the SGF, Senator George Akume.
The committee is tasked with planning and executing a dignified state burial for the late former leader, whose impact on Nigeria’s political and military landscape spanned more than five decades.
Members of the committee include ministers from key sectors: Finance, Budget and Economic Planning; Defence; Information and National Orientation; Works; Interior; Federal Capital Territory; Housing and Urban Development; Art, Culture and Creative Economy; and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare.
Also appointed are the National Security Adviser, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, the Senior Special Assistant 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 Permanent Secretary of the General Services Office in the OSGF will serve as the committee’s secretariat.
In a related directive, President Tinubu ordered all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to open condolence registers at their entrances, allowing Nigerians to pay their respects.
For members of the diplomatic community and the general public, condolence registers have been made available at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.
Further updates on the funeral arrangements will be provided by the committee in the days ahead.
Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from 1984 to 1985 and as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023, will receive full state honours. His burial is scheduled for Tuesday in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.
Earlier, President Tinubu declared a seven-day national mourning period, during which flags will be flown at half-mast across the country.
