Former Senate President Joseph Wayas set for burial three years after demise

The body of Dr. Joseph Wayas, former President of Nigeria’s Senate, who passed away on November 30, 2021, is scheduled for burial exactly three years after his death.

This announcement was made by Dr. Dorn-Cklaimz Enamhe, Secretary of the Central Planning Committee for the burial, during a press briefing in Calabar.

Wayas, who passed at the age of 80 in a London hospital, remained in a UK morgue until his body was repatriated to Nigeria on July 10, 2024. A prominent figure in Nigeria’s Second Republic, Wayas served as Senate President from 1979 to 1983.

Enamhe extended appreciation to Governor Bassey Otu and others who assisted in bringing Wayas’ body home, adding that the governor has committed to ensuring that no elder statesman from Cross River who passes abroad is left in foreign soil. Enamhe encouraged admirers of the late leader to participate in honoring his legacy.

The committee confirmed that it collaborated with authorities in Nigeria and the Nigerian High Commission in the UK to verify the identity of Wayas’ remains.

“When we brought the body back, his wife and children assessed it critically and confirmed that it was their father, so, as I speak to you the body is that of the former president of the senate.

“Unfortunately the body has been kept this long due to issues and disagreement among members of his family.

“We had to wait for these issues to be resolved and as of today, they have been resolved, that is why we are going ahead with the burial,” he said.

He also appreciated the media for constantly reminding the whole nation that the body of the former president of the Senate was yet to be buried.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Cross River, Nsa Gil, said the funeral would be held at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar and later in the deceased’s hometown in Bassang, Obanliku Local Government of Cross River.

Dignitaries, including current Senate President Godswill Akpabio, are expected to attend.

NAN