Isioma Madike 
Death is a necessary end. But, the social status of a person reflects in the way such a fellow is buried. This has become the motivation for private burial grounds and undertakers in the country, who profit from the dead while giving them dignified, befitting funerals. ISIOMA MADIKE, who recently visited some of these facilities, reports.
- It’s not wrong for those with financial muscle to do flashy funerals –Nwosu
- Africans have great respect for the dead, says Nwaghodoh
A cemetery, to some people, is not just a burial ground but rather a place of history, a garden and a tourist centre, which refreshes the present about the past. This may be the reason why individuals bury their loved ones in a beautiful tomb with decoration and tight security to keep memories.
This, perhaps, is the genesis of mausoleums. They are done, according to funeral undertakers, to put an end to grave robbing and other acts of grave vandalism.
Incidentally, most public cemeteries, especially in the “Centre of Excellence”, are still congested, overrun with weeds, and short of facilities. The tombs are still being looted by grave-robbers, who steal valuables from corpses or tamper with body parts for alleged ritual purposes.
Atan Cemetery at Yaba in Lagos is a perfect representation of a run-down burial facility. It is in a decrepit state with a pervasive foul stench of exposed graves and human parts strewn all over the dead’s abode.
A recent visit to Atan leaves much to be desired. There are sections with the “popular side” reserved for the poor. This lowly area is overgrown with weeds and has been overtaken by reptiles due to poor management.
The journey to the cemetery was as interesting as it is repulsive. Unlike other locations where cemeteries are sited in isolated parts, Atan paints a different picture. It’s like a market place with people trooping in and out of the large fenced compound believed to be about 25 hectares of land.
Residents seemed to be used to living with the dead as petty traders, artisans, and touts known as “hustlers” go about their business while mourners move in and out of the cemetery, usually dressed in black, to bury loved ones.
There were also grave diggers, bricklayers, professional mourners, and government officials in their numbers. Shallow graves that could lead to washing up of corpses during rains also assault the eye. This makes the home of the dead scary.
The neighbourhood is, indeed, not for the fainthearted. It is everything but a dignified home for the dead.
Atan, according to an official of the government, who declined to be mentioned, is about the most popular public cemetery in Lagos in spite of its many challenges. It is the final resting place of a lot of Nigerians and even foreigners, he told our reporter.
But Atan is not alone in this state. There are others scattered across the state. One of such is the Ikoyi Cemetery, believed to be one of the state’s oldest functional graveyards.
The Agege, Igbogbo in Ikorodu and many others are equally in an unbelievably derelict state.
Perhaps, it is this dearth of quality graveyards that spawned a rash of private cemeteries and funeral homes across the country, especially in Lagos.
They were conceived to provide the best final resting place to the departed loved ones of those who are desirous of keeping their memories intact.
These private graveyards are not just burial grounds; they are parks with lush greenery, beautiful flowers and interlocking stones, which make them a beauty to behold. The rich and powerful in society are buried in these places because they want to “sleep” differently, even in death.
The super-rich spend millions of naira on where they would be interred when they die. Though no one makes a gorgeous corpse, those with deep pockets would always think differently.
Today, funeral practices highlight the deceased’s earthly means.
A part of the new-look Ikoyi Cemetery, nicknamed Vaults & Gardens, is one such. But, it does not come cheap. It was constructed exclusively for the rich. A space in this elitist section goes between N2.5m and N25m.
This is minus burial permits, inscriptions on tombstones and annual maintenance, which equally attract special charges.
Another is the Victoria Court Cemetery (VCC), renamed Vaults and Gardens (VCC-Mayfair). It is believed to be the first private burial ground in Nigeria.
Though expensive, many cannot really put a price on what they call giving a befitting burial to their departed dear ones.
They often argue that no amount is too much to pay for the facilities the private graveyards offer when compared to the state of the public cemeteries where no one is sure of the safety of corpses.
A visit to VCC showed its scenic graveyard where every self-respecting corpse would elect to be buried if they had a say in the choice of a final resting place.
Even when the living escort the remains of their deceased loved ones, they often cannot help but stop to savour the serene ambiance of this beautiful cemetery owned by HFP Engineering Limited, an Israeli building and civil engineering construction company.
The 25-hectare burial ground, situated in Eputu Village, Ibeju-Lekki, and constructed in a tranquil environment, is laid on a bed of lush vegetation and luxuriant trees. A church, with several chapels and a mosque convey an added sacred flavour to the setting.
There is a capenters’ yard and kiosks for snacks and drinks among the features of the cemetery in which the Israeli company is said to have invested over N1bn at the time of its construction.
Since the first burial of a Nigerian female oil company employee in 1998, the memorial park has become the toast of many, who are not impressed by the dilapidated state of most public burial grounds around the country.
This discontent of the public with the condition of public graveyards appears to be responsible for HFP Engineering’s decision to develop a private cemetery that meets individual and family expectations.
Soon, buying burial vaults in advance became the fad among rich Nigerians. While some see it as a status symbol, others view it otherwise, with a plethora of reasons why they prepare their final resting place while alive.
Babatunde Fashola, as governor of Lagos State, confirmed paying for a burial vault in February 2015, where he would be interred. He made the declaration after inspecting another private cemetery in the state.
“We are here to inspect a cemetery we often don’t like to talk about, but there is a need for it because the population continues to expand and the Lekki sub-region is growing very fast.
“We have this strategic partnership now with the private sector and they are going to deliver a cemetery like no other.
“They will manage it and make the cost competitive. There will be high, medium and low density vaults for people who really want to make a statement at their exit,” Fashola said.
He did not stop at that but added that death is something that will eventually come and as such people should make preparations in advance.
He lamented that most people could not access some of the old cemeteries where their loved ones were buried several years ago, adding that people must plan for their demise the way they plan for success while alive.
However, since Fashola’s revelation, many other men and women of means have acquired their personal vaults.
For instance, billionaire businessman and Globacom owner, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr., had, according to reports, also paid a whopping sum to secure a space for his burial spot in one of the private cemeteries since 2013.
He was said to have bought his at the Vaults and Garden, an ultra-modern cemetery in Ikoyi, Lagos, situated beside Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
This reporter also gathered that the billionaire’s sister, Mrs Esther Osunade, who died in 2009, was buried in one of the most expensive spots at the Vaults and Garden.
The cemetery, which was opened on October 30, 2006, by the then governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, has a spot for the rich and another for the “super” rich.
A space for the rich now starts from N50 million and above while the super-rich spot costs around N150 million and above. This portion enjoys a lush lawn, balcony, beautiful gate, garden and more space.
MIC boss, Tunji Okusanya, was also said to have bought a space in one of these posh cemeteries for a huge amount before his death.
Okusanya met his sudden death along with his son and four men, who worked for him as pall-bearers in the ill-fated Associated Airline plane crash of October 3, 2014, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
These go to show that the paraphernalia for a funeral is simply endless. Yet, it has somewhat become obvious that the cost of burying loved ones is not for the shallow-pocketed in this clime.
This, perhaps, may be a pointer to those who do not know that the opulence that separates the rich from the misery of the poor continues even into the grave.
It may also be what the English playwright, William Shakespeare, foresaw when he wittingly created an imagery of the social gap between the rich and the poor.
He had said: “When beggars die, there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.”
Just like Shakespeare, Yaakov Chai, former managing director of HFP Engineering, owners of the VCC Cemetery, said when it was opened for services in 1998 that the company’s services were not for “beggars”.
“What we are offering is a complete deviation from the general cemetery you see around where people bury about six bodies together. This is a private initiative that would allow members of the public to honour their dead ones,” he had said.
As if in competition, other businessmen have taken a cue since then, investing in funeral homes.
One of these competitors is TOS Funerals Limited. They also offer a range of funeral services, including casket options, urns, and memorials, as well as funeral services, receptions, lying-in-state, and burial.
TOS services also include provision of customised and top range hearses, pallbearers, brass band, and embalmment, decoration of catafalque and condolence tables. This package, of course, comes at an upscale price.
Their slogan is to give the dead a dignified and befitting funeral with the claim of providing world-class standard.
Omega Funerals perform embalmment of corpses and sale of caskets, though their caskets do not come cheap. It ranges between N200,000 for OFWFTSB Paulownia Flat Top and N9.5 million for Solid Bronze types.
The brands of cars used for the hearse include Volvo, Ford Everest Jeep, Cadillac, Mercedes Benz, Nissan Pathfinder Jeep, R500 4MATIC Benz, and Limousine. The Benz hearse is said to be the most expensive.
For the pallbearers, about N90, 000 is charged per day. The pall bearers consist of six men, who will not only clean the corpse for the burial but also convey the casket to its final resting place.
The same amount is charged per day by the saxophonists, drummers and trumpeters (itinerant band), who will serenade the environment with ear-soothing songs befitting of a funeral.
A casket seller in the popular Odunlami Street, Lagos Island, who declined to be named, told this reporter that the poor cannot afford the prices of these services just as they can’t live in choice and exquisite estates while alive.
Reacting, the National chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Okey Nwosu, told this reporter that there is nothing wrong with choosing a private or public cemetery to bury one’s loved one.
“Where you bury your loved one is a matter of choice. It is not a waste of money if you choose to bury your loved one in a private cemetery, if you have the money, why not,” he said.
Also, Emmanuel Nwaghodoh, a lawyer has identified security as a key reason why people choose to bury their loved ones in private cemeteries.
He said the unwholesome practice of hoodlums stealing corpses at graveyards for ritual purposes would not encourage anyone that has the means to bury the remains of a beloved one in a public cemetery.
He said: “It is not a wrong idea for anybody that has the financial muscle to bury his or her beloved one in a private cemetery. Experience has shown that public cemeteries are not secure for one to bury his or her loved ones.
“We have had several stories of criminals going into public cemeteries, opening the grave and casket of a buried person and stealing all the valuables buried with such persons, including clothing.
“We have also had stories of how the eyes, the hands, private parts and other vital parts of corpses were removed for ritual purposes in public cemeteries.
“As Africans, we cherish and have great respect for our beloved ones, and the fact that they are no more does not mean we should not care about the security of their remains.
“How would you feel if criminals vandalise the remains of your beloved ones in a public cemetery when you have the resources to put them in a more secured private cemetery?” he asked.
It is, perhaps, to resolve this high cost of burial that Omega introduced other dynamics for funeral services. It does not have a private memorial park like others at present, but its facility for cremation is one edge it has over the other competitors.
Asians, mostly Indians and Chinese, are the favoured patrons of this service. The technique is, however, relatively new to Nigeria.
At present, public awareness of bidding farewell to departed loved ones through cremation is still very low. And no attempt is being made by the government to create awareness about it because the process does not go down well with the Nigerian culture.
A complete cremation, according to investigations, involves a two-step process that takes two to three hours. The first exposes the corpse to intense heat and flame after which what remains is mostly ash except for some bone fragments.
Then, the entire ash and fragment volume are gathered and run through a processor, to create a uniform powder-like texture.
Thereafter, what’s left is preserved in an urn, a vase used in ancient times for preserving the ashes of the dead after incineration. Cremation, according to an insider source, costs $1030.
This, our source said, includes minimum services like the funeral director and staff, transfer of remains, the cremation process, and a cardboard container for the cremated remains.
Proponents of the technique argue that it is less expensive than conventional internment. They also claim that with cremation, unlike burial, one does not need to take up land space.
They equally say that the process is environment friendly.
But this has not impressed environmental experts, who are worried that excessive gas that is employed in the course of burning, releases carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.
However, it is hard to imagine Nigerians getting accustomed to this new way of burying the dead.
Fashola, as a governor, upped his game of putting Lagos State on the global map and, perhaps, preparing it for the future when he signed into law a bill legalising cremation of bodies in the state a few years back.
At the signing ceremony, he emphasised that cremation was voluntary. He added that the enactment of the bill into law showed how the concept of globalisation had taken its roots in Lagos State.
