Gladness Gideon
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived at the Umaru Musa Yaradua Airport in Katsina at approximately 1:48 p.m. on Tuesday to attend the state burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in a London hospital at the age of 82.
The President was received by a delegation of governors, ministers, lawmakers, and senior government officials, as preparations intensified for the final rites in Daura, the late president’s hometown in Katsina State.
Earlier in the day, the remains of the former president departed London aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft. Upon arrival in Katsina, a brief military ceremony was held at the airport in honour of the late leader before the body was moved to Daura for funeral prayers and interment, in accordance with Islamic rites.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had disclosed on Monday that President Tinubu would personally receive the body of his predecessor and attend the burial. He also announced the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, to coordinate the ceremonies in collaboration with the Katsina State Government and the Buhari family.
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As part of national mourning, President Tinubu directed that condolence registers be opened at all Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as at Nigerian embassies and missions abroad. Another register has been established at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.
The minister also revealed that 25 Federal Executive Council members have been dispatched to Katsina for the burial rites and will remain in Daura for the third-day prayers scheduled for Wednesday.
World leaders have continued to send in tributes, with Idris noting that the condolences pouring in from across the globe reflect Buhari’s enduring legacy and stature on the international stage.