President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will personally welcome the remains of late former President Muhammadu Buhari in Katsina on Tuesday, July 15, as Nigeria prepares to give him a full state burial.
Buhari died on Sunday in a private clinic in London. Vice President Kashim Shettima is already in the UK finalizing logistics for the repatriation of his body.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris confirmed the plans in a statement on Monday.
He said Tinubu had directed that the funeral must reflect Buhari’s status as a two-time Nigerian leader.
“The President will personally receive the body of former President Buhari in Katsina,” Idris stated. “It will then be transported to Daura, where Jana’iza (funeral prayer) and burial will take place at his residence.”
The government has also formed an 18-member inter-ministerial committee to organize the burial.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, will lead the committee.
The group includes ministers from key portfolios such as defence, finance, works, interior, health, and information. Security heads like the Inspector-General of Police and Director-General of DSS are also members.
To ensure a dignified farewell, Tinubu directed 25 federal ministers to attend the full burial schedule in Katsina and Daura. They are expected to remain in Daura through Wednesday, July 16, for the Third-Day Islamic prayer.
A brief military parade will hold at the Katsina airport once the plane carrying Buhari’s body lands. Afterward, the convoy will head to Daura, where residents have been put on high security alert.
The government also ordered the opening of condolence registers across all ministries and departments.
Additional registers will open at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, and Nigerian embassies abroad.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting earlier set for July 15 has now moved to July 18 to allow top officials to attend the ceremonies.
Tinubu, who served under Buhari’s APC government, described his predecessor as “a statesman who left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s democracy.” He urged citizens to pray for Buhari’s family and reflect on his decades of public service.
