Nigeria’s government has declared Tuesday a public holiday to honour former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died aged 82 in a London clinic on Sunday after battling ill health for years.
“This public holiday provides an opportunity for all Nigerians to reflect on his life, leadership, and the values he upheld,” Nigeria’s interior minister said in a statement.
Katsina state governor Dikko Radda, who returned to Nigeria on Monday after being with Buhari’s family in the British capital, said Buhari would be buried in his home state on Tuesday.
”What I have gathered so far is that the corpse will arrive 12pm tomorrow and the burial will happen by 2pm,” he added.
Officials say the funeral, initially expected on Monday, had been delayed for logistical reasons.
The former president’s remains will be flown directly to Katsina airport before being moved to their final resting place in his home town of Daura, 50 miles (80km) from Katsina city, Radda said.
Buhari’s home is already filled with mourners as friends, family and well-wishers await the arrival of his corpse.
The vice-president said that Buhari had died after a brief illness without revealing any further details.
Even though he is a former president, there will not be a state funeral. In line with Islamic teachings, Buhari will be buried as quickly as possible in a simple ceremony, Islamic cleric Abdullahi Garangamawa told the BBC.
Tributes have continued to pour in for the late army general who led Nigeria twice – first as military leader and then as an elected president after becoming the first opposition leader to defeat an incumbent, in 2015.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, defeated by Buhari in 2015, described the late leader as someone who “was selfless in his commitment to his duty and served the country with character and a deep sense of patriotism”.
Former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, who overthrew Buhari in a 1985 coup, also showered praises on the octogenarian.
“He is a man who, even in retirement, remained a moral compass to many, and an example of modesty in public life,” Babangida noted.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is expected to attend the funeral prayer in Daura, has declared a seven-day national mourning period in honour of his predecessor.
In an official condolence statement released on Sunday evening, Tinubu said the nation would pay its final respects to the former leader with dignity and honour, starting with the lowering of all national flags to half-mast across the country from Sunday.
