Three Years After Death, Former Senate President Joseph Wayas to Be Buried November 30

Calabar, Nigeria – Nearly three years after his passing, the body of former Senate President Dr. Joseph Wayas will finally be laid to rest on November 30, 2025. The announcement was made during a press briefing in Calabar on Thursday by Dr. Dorn-Cklaimz Enamhe, Secretary of the Central Planning Committee for Wayas' burial.

Wayas, who served as Senate President during Nigeria’s Second Republic from 1979 to 1983, died in a London hospital on November 30, 2021, at the age of 80. His body was repatriated to Nigeria on July 10, 2024, after being kept for more than two years in a UK morgue due to family disputes.

Dr. Enamhe expressed appreciation to Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu and other individuals for their roles in ensuring the return of Wayas’ remains. He commended their dedication, adding that Governor Otu has pledged that no elder statesman from Cross River who dies abroad would be left unburied in a foreign land.

“We had to work with various authorities in Nigeria and the Nigerian High Commission in the UK to confirm the identity of the body. His wife and children assessed it and confirmed it was indeed him,” Enamhe stated. “Unfortunately, the long delay was due to internal family disagreements, which have now been resolved.”

He also praised the media for keeping the issue in public consciousness, ensuring the late statesman’s eventual return.

The funeral is scheduled to take place at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar, followed by interment in his hometown of Bassang, Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State. The ceremony is expected to draw dignitaries from across the nation, including current Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Dr. Joseph Wayas was born in 1941 in Obanliku, Cross River State. His political career and legacy continue to resonate in Nigerian history as a prominent figure in the nation’s democratic journey.