Tinubu Sends High-Level Delegation To Honour Civil Rights Icon Jesse Jackson

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a five-member delegation to represent Nigeria at the funeral ceremonies of Reverend Jesse Jackson, the towering American civil rights leader who died on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84.

The delegation, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, will formally deliver President Tinubu’s condolences to the Jackson family and pay tribute to a man widely regarded as a global symbol of justice, equality, and moral courage.

Other members of the delegation include 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; and Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye.
In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described Jackson as a steadfast friend of Nigeria and Africa whose influence extended far beyond the borders of the United States.

“He was a moral voice and a formidable opponent of apartheid in South Africa,” the President said. “He played a leading role in the campaign for the release of Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders and helped galvanise international support for sanctions against the apartheid regime.”

Jackson’s funeral rites began on February 26 with a lying-in-state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago, the civil rights organisation he founded. Services have also been held in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., including a lying-in-state at the South Carolina Statehouse from March 1 to 5.

A “People’s Celebration” is scheduled for March 6 at the House of Hope in Chicago, followed by a private homegoing service on March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
By sending a high-level delegation, Nigeria joins world leaders in honouring Jackson’s legacy — one defined by decades of activism, global solidarity, and an unwavering stand against injustice.