A host of high-profile dignitaries have converged on Daura, Katsina State, for the final rites of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, who died in a London hospital on Sunday at the age of 82.
Among those attending the solemn Jana’iza ceremony in Buhari’s hometown are Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, accompanied by key female dignitaries including Mrs Fatimah Abbas, wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives; Hajia Laila Barau, wife of the Deputy Senate President; Barrister Zarah Ribadu, wife of the National Security Adviser; and Mrs Abu Ibrahim.
Governors from across the country are also present, including the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, and his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who arrived alongside billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Niger, Ali Lamine Zeine, was received in Katsina by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda. He joins a growing list of West African leaders expected to pay their final respects to the late Nigerian leader.
Yemi Osinbajo, who served as Buhari’s Vice President in his two-term presidency, also arrived in Katsina to attend the burial.
Also, Nigeria’s former Vice President and presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, made a swift return from an international business engagement to honour the deceased, according to publisher Dele Momodu.
Security has been heightened across Katsina as traditional leaders, senior government officials, and foreign delegations pour in from across Africa for the funeral, which follows Islamic rites.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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