THE United States mission in Nigeria has said it will close its operation today to honour former President Jimmy Carter.
The US mission stated this today in a post on its official X handle.
“The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Thursday, January 9, in honour of former President Carter’s passing.
“We remember former President Jimmy Carter, a tireless advocate for peace, democracy, and human rights. As the first U.S. President, twitter.com/i/web/status/1,” the mission stated.
Carter, who died on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at the age of 100, served a single term from 1977-1981 and was widely praised for his post-presidential humanitarian efforts, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
The body of the late President was transferred on Tuesday in a grand and solemn military ceremony to the US Capitol, where it will lie in state until a national funeral later this week.
His body arrived at the snow-covered US Capitol, where it will remain until today, after a full day of ceremonious travel that began in his native Georgia.
A live feed by broadcaster PBS showed members of the public move through the building’s rotunda to pay their respects to the late president, with many stopping to take a moment of silence with their hands clasped.
Having been flown to Washington aboard a presidential US Air Force jet, Carter’s flag-draped casket was carried atop a gun carriage in a funeral procession from the US Navy Memorial — an ode to his military service on submarines — to Capitol Hill, tracing the opposite route he took during his inauguration parade.
