The Federal Government has inaugurated a State Funeral Committee for the former Chief of General Staff, the late Lieutenant General Oladipo Diya, who died on March 26, 2023.
The committee is expected to plan a befitting burial for the Army general.
This is as the family of the late Diya announced that the former Chief of General staff would be interred on July 29.
The Funeral Committee, which is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, was drawn from the Ministry of Works and Housing; Ministry of Information and Culture and Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
Also, the Chief of Defence Staff; Inspector-General of Police; Director-General, Department of State Services; Representatives of Ogun and Lagos State Governments and the family of late Lt. Gen. Diya; and the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office are members of the committee.
These were contained in a statement on Wednesday by the Director of Information, Office of the SGF, Willie Bassey.
While inaugurating the committee, the SGF urged the Committee to ensure that the late elder statesman would be given a befitting burial.
The SGF was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government, Dr. Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri.
“According to him, five Sub-Committees were also approved by Mr. President to facilitate the seamless execution of the State funeral programme for the late Chief of General Staff. The Sub-Committees are as follows: Works and Services Sub-Committee; Funeral and Security Sub-Committee; Publicity Sub-Committee and Accommodation/ Protocol and Secretariat,” the statement added.
Disclosing the date for the funeral, Diya’s son, Oyedamola, said the funeral would hold between July 23 and July 29.
It said, “The family has released the funeral programme which will commence on Sunday, July 23, 2023, with the Service of Songs and Night of Tribute and climax with the final burial rites and interment on Saturday, July 29, 2023.”
Speaking on behalf of the executive governor of Ogun State, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, assured the SGF of the preparedness of the State Government to partner with the FG to give the late Chief of General Staff a grand state funeral.
He added that the State Government has magnanimously donated the sum of N50 million and also upgrade road infrastructure to ease movement to the funeral area.