President Bola Tinubu has appointed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, to lead an Inter-Ministerial Committee tasked with organizing a state funeral for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The appointment was made public in a statement released Monday in Abuja by Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the SGF. Akume will oversee the coordination and execution of a befitting burial for the former Nigerian leader.
Members of the committee include key figures such as the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Defence, Information and National Orientation, Works, Interior, FCT, Housing and Urban Development, Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, as well as the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare. Also on the committee are the National Security Adviser, Special Advisers to the President on Policy and Political Matters, the Inspector General of Police, the Director-General of the State Services, and the Chief of Defence Staff. The General Services Office (GSO) will serve as the committee’s secretariat.
To honour the late president, President Tinubu has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to place condolence registers at their office entrances for the public. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja will host central condolence registers for the diplomatic corps and the general public.
In a related move, Senator Akume has postponed a scheduled meeting with State Secretaries (SSGs), which was initially set for July 15 and 16, 2025, in Jos, Plateau State. The meeting was postponed in observance of national mourning and the official burial arrangements for Buhari. A new date for the meeting will be announced later.
