Isaac Samuel
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the constitution of an inter-ministerial committee to organise a state burial for former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in London after a prolonged illness.
Director, Information and Public Relations, Segun Imohiosen, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
The committee is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and is tasked with planning and coordinating a befitting national farewell for the late leader, whose legacy spans military and democratic service to the nation.
Other members of the committee include key officials drawn from the federal cabinet and security architecture.
These include the Ministers of Finance; Budget and Economic Planning; Defence; Works; Interior; and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Also on the committee are the Ministers of Housing and Urban Development; Art, Culture and the Creative Economy; as well as the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, and the Minister of Information and National Orientation.
The committee also includes the National Security Adviser; Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political and Other Matters; the Inspector-General of Police; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS); and the Chief of Defence Staff.
The Permanent Secretary, General Services Office (GSO), will serve as secretary to the committee.
To honour the former president, President Tinubu also directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to open condolence registers at the entrances of their offices for members of the public to pay their respects.
Additionally, central condolence registers will be opened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja for the diplomatic community and the general public.
