President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a five-member delegation to represent Nigeria at the final burial rites of Rev. Jesse Jackson, the American civil rights leader, activist, and former presidential candidate, who passed away at age 84 on February 17, 2026, in Chicago.

Leading the delegation is Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Other members 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 team will deliver President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family.

In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described Rev. Jackson as “a great friend of Nigeria and Africa,” noting his pivotal role in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and his campaign for the release of Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders. The President also highlighted Jackson’s support for sanctions against the apartheid regime.

The burial programme began on February 26 with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago. Services in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., including a lying-in-state at the South Carolina Statehouse, were scheduled for March 1–5. A “People’s Celebration” is planned for March 6 at the House of Hope in Chicago, followed by a private homegoing on March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.