Africa-Press – Nigeria. Alarmed by the outrageous cost of burial and marriage rites in Akwa Ibom State, a Civil Society Organisation, Open Forum, has called on the state government and the House of Assembly to review traditional laws governing the performance of those rites.
The group noted that other states in the country have enacted new burial and marriage laws and urged the Akwa Ibom government to follow suit as a matter of urgent public importance.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital on Tuesday, the Executive Director of the organisation, Matthew Koffi Okono, said the current practice is not only exploitative but had made some families abandon the corpse of their relatives at the morgue, and scared away some prospective grooms from completing their marriage rites.
Okono also appealed to the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria to look at, and or review their policies regarding burial of their deceased members, as well as their marriages practices,in Akwa Ibom State.
He said the call was made following the burial of a 71 years old woman abandoned in the mortuary for seven years due to unbearable burial rites demand.
According to him, the current economic realities in the country has worsened the situation as so many families find it very difficult to provide the required seven goats or cows alongside other items and cash before burying their loved ones.
While noting that families that have the wherewithal can go ahead to give what they have, Okono said there should be an official standard to help the larger majority of citizens who have multidimensional poverty to grapple with.
His words, “It is Open Forum’s advocacy that the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Supreme Council of Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers and the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly should, as a matter of urgent public importance set in motion the process for the enactment of the Akwa Ibom State Burial System Law or by whatever other title to stipulate reasonable and affordable traditional rights (items) required by every family in all villages, clans and local governments in the state.
“Also, the inability of our young men and women of marriage age would be able to go into marriage honourably without breaking the bank to do so. It will be to the credit of the Umo Eno administration if these patriotic initiatives are adopted and implemented during his tenure as Governor of Akwa Ibom State.”
The group also noted the failure of leadership at various levels in the state, saying that from complaints received from vulnerable persons, some family heads, village heads and even higher traditional rulers are allegedly not living upto expectations in resolution of matters and adjudication of justice.
He, therefore, advocated that all family and village heads and the traditional institution should be given periodic orientation on conflict resolution and leadership tenets.
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