.As Biden declares day of national mourning
.A beacon of service to humanity, Tinubu mourns
Former President Jimmy Carter’s official state funeral will hold on January 9, 2025, the same day as a national day of mourning announced by President Joe Biden.
Biden ordered federal offices closed on that day “as a mark of respect” for Carter and is expected to deliver a eulogy for the former president.
Carter, the 39th United States president and the first to reach age 100, died Sunday.
He had been in hospice care since February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he lived with his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter.
The former first lady died November 19, 2023, at age 96.
Maranatha Baptist Church, where the former president was a member and taught Sunday school for many years, will hold a prayer vigil Monday evening.
Biden said in remarks last year that Carter had asked him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral before catching himself and adding, “Excuse me, I shouldn’t say that.”
Carter and Biden fostered a close relationship over many decades, with Carter, a former governor of Georgia, telling how Biden supported him when he ran for president.
In recorded remarks during the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Carter announced his support for then-candidate Biden, saying, “When I ran for president in 1976, Joe Biden was my first and most effective supporter in the Senate.”
He added, “For decades, he has been my loyal and dedicated friend.”
For Carter’s 100th birthday in October, Biden recognized him with a direct-to-camera birthday message shared with CBS News, saying: “Mr. President, you’ve always been a moral force for our nation and the world. I recognized that as a young senator. That’s why I supported you so early. You’re a voice of courage, conviction, compassion, and most of all, a beloved friend of Jill and me and our family.”
The president and first lady Jill Biden visited Carter in April 2021, soon after Biden took office, spending almost an hour with the 39th president and his wife.
World leaders remember former President Jimmy Carter as a humanitarian and peacemaker
The two presidents last saw each other at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral in November 2023, where Biden said he had the opportunity to speak briefly with Carter and tell him how much he loved him.
In a statement on Truth Social on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump also paid tribute to Carter, writing that “[t]he challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”
Trump added, “For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his global human rights work, including “his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts.” Through his work with the Carter Center, which he established in 1982 with his wife, Carter spent decades working in developing nations on efforts to restore human rights and build democratic institutions.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended his deepest condolences to the government and people of the United States of America on the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100.
President Carter, the 39th President of the United States, was a beacon of service to humanity, demonstrating to leaders worldwide the profound impact of dedication beyond the highest office.
Tinubu said “as a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and global statesman, President Carter devoted his post-presidential life to the causes of peace, democracy, and the eradication of tropical diseases adding that his unwavering commitment to these noble pursuits has left an indelible mark on the world.
“President Carter showed us all how to remain relevant and impactful after leaving the esteemed position of President of the United States,” remarked President Tinubu.
“He tackled the challenges the developing world faced, from combating diseases to mediating conflicts and promoting democratic values. He exemplified grace, dignity, and a profound respect for humanity.”
President Tinubu fondly recalls President Carter as a trustworthy and compassionate friend to Nigeria.
He commended Carter’s significant contributions through The Carter Center, particularly his efforts in eradicating Guinea worm disease and river blindness in Nigeria, which have significantly improved the lives of many Nigerians.
Reflecting on Nigeria-U.S. relations, President Tinubu nostalgically remembers President Carter’s historic visit to Nigeria in March 1978 and his three-day stay at the State House in Marina, Lagos State.
“Under Carter’s leadership, this visit marked a pivotal moment in U.S. foreign policy.
It laid the groundwork for a pragmatic relationship between the United States and Africa, with Nigeria at its heart”, he noted.
President Tinubu expressed hope that President Carter’s legacy of decency, character, and humanity, both in and out of office, will continue to inspire Americans and leaders worldwide to embrace the true essence of leadership, according to a statement on Monday by Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy).
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