Former Senate President of the Second Republic, Joseph Wayas, will finally be laid to rest in his hometown in Cross River State on November 30, 2024. Wayas passed away in the United Kingdom (UK) on November 30, 2021, where he was undergoing medical care.

The Chairman Central Planning Committee for the burial, Dorn-Cklaimz Enamhe, disclosed this to newsmen yesterday during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Calabar.

He said it took the support of the governor, Senator Bassey Otu, and some state actors from the Who is Who in Northern Cross River Forum to succeed in repatriating the remains of the late Wayas to Nigeria. He noted that Governor Otu has pledged that no Cross River elder statesman who dies abroad will be left in a foreign land as their remains will be brought home.

He said the late Senator would be laid to rest at his hometown in Basang community, Obanliku local government area of the state but the funeral rite would be held in Calabar. Dignitaries, including current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, are expected to attend.

He added that the committee had to work with various authorities in Nigeria and the Nigerian High Commission in the UK to ascertain the authenticity of the body.

“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 disagreements 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.