Even the Dead Are Clamouring for Change!

At a moment when the average Nigerian craves for change in all sectors of the economy, it will astonish you to know that, even the dead who are buried in public cemeteries are clamouring for change as well. A visit to public cemeteries, makes one to one wonder if indeed the dead are actually resting in peace. Or how else can one explain the congestion in public cemeteries and the unkempt state in which they are? Or being upgraded to become a haven for ritualists and other diabolical characters, who would not allow the dead to rest in peace?
Picture this horror scene where a middle-aged man was caught with seven human skulls, hidden in a sack. During interrogation by the Nigerian police who caught him, he told the police that he got those skulls from Atan cemetery, Yaba. He explained further, how it was a normal routine for him to scale the cemetery’s fence in the dead of the night, to exhume corpses and thereafter sever their heads from the trunks. It has become almost like a regular occurrence for people of questionable character to be caught with human skulls or fresh human heads, all straight from public cemetery. To say that the deplorable state of public cemeteries in the country leaves much to be desired, would be stating the obvious.
This negative trend has however set the stage for an emerging trend where those who can afford to give their dearly departed beloved ones, a befitting resting place, can now do so. Current realities now point to the fact that death is no longer the leveller for mankind as the wealthy now chose to bury their dead in a way that reflects their economic status. Private cemeteries are now the in-thing and it is fast catching on with quite a number of private cemeteries dotting a few high brow areas across the Lagos metropolis. A thriving business no doubt and this is simply because public cemeteries casketsare not well maintained, due to the lackadaisical attitude associated with running of government institutions and parastatals. One of those privately owned cemeteries is the Victoria Court Cemetery, located on Lekki-Epe Expressway. Established in 1997, it is owned and operated by an Isreali construction company, HFP Engineering. Investigations reveal that a vault there goes for over half a million naira which you are required to pay upfront for before arrangements are made to receive the corpse for burial. This is in addition to the in-house chapel which sits 140 guests, where funeral services could be held, if the family of the deceased so desires but with the family’s own officiating minister.
There is also the Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi cemetry situated beside the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and owned by Olakleen Group. Here, some of the tombs are done up in marble, red brick, tiles or granite. It boasts of single, double and triple vaults and the prices vary from half a million to two million naira. And it has a hall for funeral services, which attracts N100,000 fee for two hours duration. Vaults and Gardens has a mausoleum section too, which is only made available on application with a price tag that could go as high as N10 million.
While some only pay for the vaults when there is a loss, others buy and keep the tombs for any eventuality or even for themselves. These private cemeteries also issue a certificate of occupancy that is renewable after 25 years for vaults paid for.
A few elites who have the privilege of resting in eternity in this serene environment are the late Abibat Mogaji, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria and mother to the National leader of All Progressive Congress party; Esther Osuande, sister to billionaire business mogul, Mike Adenuga; Gbegi Ojora, the first so of boardroom guru, Otunba Adekunle Ojora; late Tayo Aderinokun, co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank and several others. Interestingly, the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, recently confirmed in an interview that he bought his own vault four years ago.
Unfortunately, the lower class has little or no chance of breaking free from this vicious cycle of poverty which extends even in death.