Tinubu Mourns Civil Rights Icon Rev. Jesse Jackson, Hails His Global Legacy of Justice
✍️ By Tobi | February 18, 2026 | 07:24 AM
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has joined the rest of the world and the people of the United States to mourn the passing of Jesse Jackson, the revered civil rights icon and renowned Baptist preacher, who died on Tuesday morning at the age of 84.
In a heartfelt tribute dated February 17, 2026, President Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as a servant-leader who captured the global imagination as a young activist, working alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the historic struggle for the dignity of Black people, the oppressed, and the voiceless in America and beyond.
The President noted that although Reverend Jackson built his career as a preacher and political organiser, he rose to become a national and global symbol of resistance against injustice, persistently demanding better social and economic conditions for African-Americans. He added that Jackson carried forward the unfinished work of Martin Luther King Jr. in the noble fight for racial justice in the United States.
Recalling his personal experience, Tinubu said he lived in Chicago as a student in the 1970s — the same city where Reverend Jackson fought some of his most consequential battles against discrimination. According to him, Jackson’s life and ministry helped steer American society closer to the promise of the American dream.
President Tinubu concluded by describing Reverend Jackson as a lifelong advocate of justice and human progress whose voice, even in old age and illness, continued to urge the world to “keep hope alive.”
“May the great and noble soul of Reverend Jesse Jackson find eternal rest,” the President said.
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