The Nation Newspaper

Tag: DEAD

  • How I spent 12 hours among dead bodies

    How I spent 12 hours among dead bodies

    Why did SOKAPU declare a six-month mourning period for the late former Governor of Kaduna State, Sir Patrick Yakowa?

    He was our hero and the first democratically elected governor from Southern Kaduna. He was our rallying point and a role model. He was somebody on the road to fulfilling our dream of participating in the act of governance in Kaduna State. Before Yakowa, they had declared Government House as a no-go area for my people, and then God gave us that slot. Can’t we celebrate such a man?

    First, he was a man who was completely detribalised. He treated the Hausa, Fulani and the others equally and was not a religious bigot. He was fair to people from all religions. In fact, some people even felt that he was more disposed to the Hausa Muslim community than the other communities. But that is the nature of the man. He believed in fairness.

    The bridges he built within the short period he was around are bridges I am not too sure we will get somebody to build in the near future. He was a real bureaucrat and an administrator, and was so friendly to people. He wasn’t a thief and did not steal government money to enrich himself. Shouldn’t we celebrate such a life? Shouldn’t the people of Kaduna State celebrate such a great man?

    We declared the six months and we rounded it off with prayers. We asked the Muslim community to join us in praying for the repose of the soul of that gentleman, as well as for peace and stability of Kaduna State. Some of them responded. At the St. John’s Catholic Church where we held the prayers, there were Muslims who came for the service, including his former Secretary to Government, Lawal Ismaila Abdullahi. That tells you that Yakowa transcends religious or tribal lines.

    You can see that even after death, people are still following him. That was why we declared the six-month mourning period. We are still mourning him and will only stop mourning him when we have one of us occupying the Government House again, because wherever Yakowa is, that was his dream. Until that is achieved, we will not rest.

    At the service to end the six months of mourning, you spoke about the threat to your life by the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau…

    The issue of insurgency in this country has placed virtually everybody under threat. But I know that in two or three video releases, the leader of the insurgency group particularly warned me to desist for fighting the cause of my own people. I didn’t take it as anything because that is what life is all about. I have heard them say the same thing to the President and governors and anybody who has an opinion that is contrary to what they believe.

    Let me say that the people who started this insurgency had a genuine cause, which was hijacked and politicised. They said they were fighting corruption. They were after equality and justice, and everybody believes in that. I believe in that. If you are a group that is out to fight for justice, equality, fairness, I am for you. But when it becomes the issue of bombing innocent people, killing those who are even sympathetic to you, that is where we disagree.

    I come from a community that is grossly impoverished, but I won’t carry arms against the state. I will shout and tell the whole world that there has been injustice against my own people and we have been marginalised. So, give us what belongs to us without taking arms or throwing bombs. This is the kind of struggle we want every Nigerian to engage in where they feel short-changed. Now, the struggle they started with has lost value and people now see them as killers and murderers. So, the genuine mission they started with has been abandoned; it is now political Boko Haram.

    I have seen people who are trying to make themselves relevant politically by using the name Boko Haram and trying to show the world that they have sympathy for them when in the real sense, they don’t have sympathy for these people. They are just using it for political reasons. Now, the government has taken action, what are they saying? The story has changed. Who were the people that were talking about amnesty? What are they singing today now that government has acted? You can see the complacency in the whole thing.

    The fact is that there were people who were feeding fat from the Boko Haram saga. Now government has acted and their means of livelihood has been cut short. So, let us wait and see the new song that they will sing.

    At the memorial service, you also spoke about an accident you had. How did it happen?

    I was working in a bank and we went to Lagos for a workshop. There was crisis in Lagos and there was no movement. Northerners were also being hunted. We went to Lagos by air and we were caught in the crisis. We couldn’t leave Lagos. We were staying in a hotel close to Abiola’s house. Somehow, they learnt that there were northerners in that hotel and they made effort to set it ablaze. So, the hotel management arranged a luxury bus and smuggled us out of Lagos at night.

    About 15 kilometres to Ogbomoso, our vehicle ran into a broken down trailer and most of my colleagues and friends died. I was unconscious for several hours. I found myself among dead bodies for at least 12 hours. By the time we were rescued and taken to the General Hospital in Ogbomoso, I had lost about 70 per cent of my blood and they were surprised that I was still alive.

    I was later moved to Baptist Medical Centre there in Ogbomoso, where I was rehabilitated for about one week before I was moved to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, where I spent about one year. God spared my life and today, I drive around on my own and can do virtually anything anybody can do.

    What was it like being on the sick bed for that long?

    First, that was not my first accident. But that was the longest period I was hospitalised. Thank God that I have a very enduring mind and spirit. I don’t give up easily about life, probably because of the advantage of being brought up in the village. That ruggedness in me enabled me to be able to withstand things. It was like being put in prison for one year, and I made sure that I did not allow stress to come in and weigh me down. I was one of the liveliest patients while I was in the hospital.

    To me, it was like a period of reorientation and rejuvenation. It was like being sent to prison and you come out reformed. You look at life from a perspective different from the way you used to and you appreciate God. You now look at this thing they call life and realise that it can cut at any time. It is like NEPA light and God can take it away at any time. That accident conditioned me and prepared me for whatever challenges I am facing in life, and that has made me to be very rugged.

    Southern Kaduna communities have been under attack from unknown gunmen for some time now. What is SOKAPU doing about them?

    Since November 2011, we in Southern Kaduna have witnessed incidents of organised and sporadic attacks on our communities. It started like an accident in a village called Fadia. Shortly after, there was an attack on Bitaro village in Jaba land. From Bitaro, there was another one in Kusom, a village not far from the Gwong community where the late Governor Patrick Yakowa hails from, as well as other attacks around Kagoro Chiefdom and several other attacks in Bajju land in Zangon Kataf Local Government. There was another serious massacre in Gbagyi land in a village called Chukun, where over 18 people, including a priest, were murdered.

    The most recent one is the one on Attakar land, where three villages were wiped out on the hills and more than 100 houses were set on fire. In fact, in that place, the only building remaining is a church that was partly damaged. That attack recorded close to 60 deaths. Two weeks later, there was another attack in that area where 12 people were murdered and more than 78 houses were set on fire. The casualties were more of women and children, and their foodstuffs and personal belongings were burnt.

    Those attacks left us with the responsibility of resettling more than 15,000 internally displaced persons. We have tried to understand the motives behind it and our understanding has been that the Fulani have been the major suspects. The second set of people we suspect are thieves who come to steal cows. We have a chain of security operatives in that area mounting road blocks left and right. But what surprises us is that despite these attacks, we are yet to get reports that one person has been caught and prosecuted.

    It leaves us wondering what those security men are doing there. Are they not brought there to protect lives and property? Is it that their number is insufficient or that they are not doing what they were sent there to do? Otherwise, how can these people always beat them hands down? So, the community is worried. The union has been involved in resettling these internally displaced persons, providing relief materials to them as well as restoring peace and confidence in the people there. We are worried that if government and security agencies cannot protect lives and property, what alternative do we have as a people? We are saying that if they cannot, let them leave so that we can organise to protect ourselves. We have the people, the knowhow and we will use whatever strategy it takes to defend our land.

    I have seen it happen in the Niger Delta where they are defending their land. The Afenifere did it. The people of Nasarawa have in recent times been defending their land. The Tivs have been defending their land against these attacks. So, what we are saying is that we also have the ability to defend our land. We will mobilise the people to protect the land. But if the security operatives feel that they are there with a good intention and they are there to execute the mandate given to them to protect lives and property, then we are prepared to collaborate with them.

    You can see what is happening in Borno State, where the youth are working with the JTF to point out those who are involved in the insurgency. Our people are ready to do same, because we know the terrain and how to go about hunting for our killers. We are saying that the security operatives there should find a way of keying into this vantage position to make their work easier.

    What has been the response to all these attacks by the state and federal governments?

    I complained to government about the attack in Attakar land. There were three villages that were first attacked. The villages are about 10 kilometres apart from each other, and they have only 25 soldiers there. These soldiers do not have helicopter or a motor bike. The people want to go and farm and rebuild their villages, but that threat is still there. If these people are not protected to the level where they can go and farm and rebuild their homes, there is an impending danger of hunger, and that is going to bounce back on government.

    It is cheaper for government to improve security there and allow people to go and rebuild their land and farm. That will relieve government of the burden of feeding people who have been denied their means of livelihood. We are saying that government should improve security in the area and the security agencies themselves should collaborate with the people. The materials taken to those internally displaced persons were grossly inadequate. These attacks came at the beginning of the rainy season. Where do you want them to go?

    Initially, they were occupying primary schools. When the schools resumed, they were forced to leave. Because of the hospitality of our people, many of them had to be absorbed into people’s homes. Many of these people don’t have food, clothes and other basic necessities of life. So, how do you want them to start life all over again? That is why we are saying that government needs to do more. It should not be a one-stop thing, coming at the beginning of the attacks and disappearing. The rehabilitation should be a continuous thing.

    Apart from providing the basic needs, what is government doing to make sure that this does not repeat itself? Government must be proactive. They should put machinery in place to ensure proper and adequate intelligence gathering as a way of preventing future attacks. Government should not just wait until there is an attack and they provide bags of rice, spaghetti and other items. That is not what government should be doing.

    What is your assessment of Kaduna State six months after Yakowa?

    The score card for the man who stepped into the shoes of Yakowa is better told by a survey of the opinion of the people of Kaduna State. We are still making an assessment of what the man has been able to do in the last six months. He promised that he was going to continue with all the projects of his former boss. We are monitoring all those projects. We are trying to find out, where Yakowa stopped, how much was voted for those projects? How much has been released and how long it will take to complete them with the governor in office now? We are monitoring all the projects that are of interest to us.

    The score card will reveal whether the man is really interested in completing what his former boss started. I have seen appointments in the government and for our people, a few appointments are good, and I give him kudos for that. But I want him to improve on the nature of those appointments. If you look at appointments at the federal level, we have not been treated fairly. I say this with confidence because of the number of appointments that has been given to Kaduna State, how many of them have gone to Southern Kaduna despite the overwhelming support we gave the ruling party?

    Southern Kaduna gave over 51 per cent of the total votes Mr. President got from Kaduna State and more than that in the governorship election. But what do we have to show for it? Some committee appointments and membership of some boards. We do not have a minister. The ministerial slot that is supposed to be ours is being held by somebody from Zone One. The governor is from here, and the normal arrangement is that where ever the governor comes from, the minister comes from the other side. Now that the governor is from Zone One, automatically, the ministerial slot is supposed to go to Zone Three. As we speak, that slot is still there, held by somebody. It is left for the governor of the state to ensure that he fights and correct that injustice.

    If I were in his position, I would have fought this in Abuja to ensure that this dysfunctional situation is corrected. As I said before, the body language will determine so many things in future; both the body language of the governor and the body language of the people of Southern Kaduna.

    The Senate Committee on Constitution Review has practically dashed the hope of all those agitating for new states, including yours. What is your take on this?

    That thing the Senate committee did was grossly wrong. They hurriedly went to submit their report on the basis of certain documents that have been updated. The documents they used were the ones that were submitted in 2010 whereas we had submissions that we made in 2012/2013. We were asked to update those documents and submit them, but now they are giving the whole world the impression that those of us agitating for state creation did not meet the requirements, which is not true. What I expect the Senate to do is to say that certain things were missing and we should update them in view of the realities on ground, and any group that meets the requirement for state creation, the state should be created.

    We know that the process is cumbersome, but that is why the Senate committee is there in the first place. They are supposed to propose amendments that will make state creation easier. It was because we knew that the process is cumbersome that we had those sessions to ensure that when people who genuinely need a state make demand, they get it. The state Houses of Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Senate are the organs we need to create states. Once 2/3 of those people say yes, this is what we want, why should we be denied?

    In the case of Gurara State which we are demanding, I must say that we have all it takes to have a state of our own. We have the capital, the human resources, the land and every other thing that it takes. Our state has a lot of potential and we are capable.

  • An excursion into two worlds of the dead

    An excursion into two worlds of the dead

    Like the living, the dead also have two worlds

    Perhaps unknown to many, the opulence that separates the rich from the misery of the poor continues even into the grave. That much can be deduced from the visits our correspondent paid to two cemeteries in Lagos during the week. The Atan public cemetery, located on Lagos Mainland is reputed as a site set aside for the poor and the not-so-rich while the Vaults and Gardens, a private cemetery located in high brow Ikoyi, is reserved for the rich and the affluent.

    While with a paltry N35,000 a poor family can secure a space for their dead relation, a family who desires a space for its dead loved one at Vault and Garden may need as much as N70 million to actualise the dream. And this, according to findings by our correspondent excludes the value added tax and the cost of other ornaments.

    Curiously, it is a disparity that did not exist until the recent past. Checks revealed that prior to the coming of the colonial masters and missionaries, Africans, Nigerians in particular, maintained the tradition of burying their deceased loved ones within their immediate environments. Some their compounds as site for the burial while others who sought to demonstrate greater care for their dead ones, chose a room in the family house. It is a tradition that subsists in many communities till today, in spite of western influence.

    With the advent of civilization and western influence, however, the tradition of burying the dead in the family compound paved way for the use of public cemeteries. The emergence of public cemetery, it was gathered, started when missionaries acquired lands as burial grounds to bury their colleagues instead of flying their remains back to their countries of birth. This was later followed by the acquisition of land for the burial of deceased church members. The development gave rise to the creation of government owned cemeteries and subsequently private ones.

    In terms of beauty, serenity and arrangement, public cemeteries like the one at Atan are not anywhere near private ones like Vault and Garden. It is like comparing life between the residents of the high brow Victoria Garden City (VGC) and Makoko, a slum situated in Yaba area of Lagos State.

    At the Atan cemetery, the graves are overgrown with weeds and have become steady grazing grounds for sheep and goats that roam the premises. When our correspondent visited on Wednesday, the cemetery’s attendants were smoking cigarette and puffing out the smoke as if their lives depended on it. One of them told our correspondent that they believed the smoke from the cigarettes were capable chasing away the spirits of the dead.

    He said: “Taking care of a cemetery is not an easy job. Did your head not swell when you entered here? Did you feel the same way you felt before you got here? You can never feel the same way because this is another world entirely. It is a world of the spirits, and for us to stay here, we have to keep smoking to repel their spirits because they don’t like the smell of smoke.”

    Asked how much it costs to bury a dead person in the cemetery, the head of the cemetery, who gave his name as Sam, said the cost depends on whether one wants a temporary grave or a permanent one. “The temporary grave,” he said, “is without record. When you bury somebody in a temporary grave, there would be record of such burial. After some time, we can bury somebody else on such corpse. But it takes about two years before we can do that. It costs N35,000. The permanent grave costs N170, 000 for a single vault while a family vault for three persons costs N220, 000. However, if you want full marble, the cost will be N350, 000. We also provide caskets if you want one. The cost is between N35, 000 and N120, 000. We also have hearse and limousine to convey the corpse. The hearse costs N20, 000 while the limousine costs N50, 000.”

    He also allayed fears about the safety of interred corpses at the cemetery, saying: “It is not true that the remains of people buried here are not secured. We have a very tight security that would never permit any unholy practice here. When you look at the dates on some of the graves, you will see that they have been here for a long time without anybody tampering with them.

    “It is also not true that there is no more space in the cemetery. We still have a large expanse of land that has not been used. Our requirement for burying a corpse here is the death certificate. You must come with it when bringing the corpse for burial.”

    A visit to Ikoyi Cemetery showed that is better kept and organised than Atan Cemetery. The clean lawns were a contrast to the overgrown weeds at Atan cemetery. The attendant, who refused to give his name, said a three-chamber vault with space and construction costs N450, 000 while two-chamber and one-chamber vaults cost N350,000 and N300,000 respectively.

    A walk into Vault and Garden, just beside Ikoyi cemetery, revealed the glaring difference between public and private cemeteries. It is serene and colourful like a private estate. There was nothing outside the premises that gave it out as a cemetery. Even some people who had gone to the Ikoyi cemetery to bury their loved ones could not resist waiting at the entrance of Vault and Garden for a few minutes to behold its beauty. And if it is fascinating from the outside, the inside is simply captivating. Unlike the compound of public cemeteries that are not cemented, the floor of Vault and Garden is neatly paved with fancy blocks. The administrative office is tastefully furnished and fitted with air conditioners. The floor is generously covered with shinning tiles. Unlike the scary appearance that a visitor is confronted with at Atan, the graves in Vault and Gardens are simply inviting.

    The cost and requirement for making a deceased relation to enjoy these facilities are however enormous. The details as contained in the payment voucher given to our correspondent by the receptionist shows that apart from the death certificate, which is also required by private cemeteries, Vault and Garden also requires a death certificate obtained from the National Population Commission, certificate of burial permit from Eti Osa Local Government and an application form for burial issued by the establishment, among others.

    The costs of the vaults range between N1million and N70 million, excluding value added tax (VAT) and other services such as tombstone classification, which ranges between N550, 000 and N1,050, 000. The VAT for vault classification is between N50, 000 and N3, 5000, 000 while that of tombstone classification is between N27, 000 and N52, 500. This is the much a family of any deceased person has to part with to make their loved one rest in peace in the beautiful graves.

    In an informal chat with our correspondent, one of the attendants said humorously: “This is like a private living room. It is not like the public cemeteries where the fear of being attacked by the spirits of the dead can come to your mind. You can eat or even lie down there without any iota of fear. When you hear the phrase ‘rest in peace,’ this is what they mean. They are enjoying the same comfort as they did while alive.

    “The cost of some of the caskets used at Vault and Garden is enough to empower hundreds of people because it runs into millions. They use mother of the earth cars to bring them as if they are going for marriage. In fact, it is here I get to see some of such cars.”

    Commenting on the cost of burying corpses in private cemeteries, Chief Ladi Williams, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said there is nothing wrong with choosing a private or public cemetery to bury one’s loved one.

    He said: “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. Running a private cemetery is not a bad idea, because we are in a capitalist society. It is a business which you can choose to patronise or not.

    “There is also nothing bad in going to a public cemetery. It is like somebody taking BRT bus from Lagos Island to Dopemu and another person riding a Mercedez Benz from same Lagos Island to Dopemu. Both of them will get there. In fact, the person riding in the public bus may get there before the one riding in a private car.”

    Prince Dipo Okeyomi, a security expert and Executive Director of Marial Security, Texas, United States, identified security as a key reason why people choose to bury their loved ones in private cemeteries. He said the unwholesome practice of hoodlums pilfering corpses at graveyards for ritual purposes would never encourage anybody that has the means to bury the remains of a beloved one in a public cemetery.

    He said: “It is not a wrong thing for anybody that has the financial muscle to bury his beloved one in a private cemetery. Experience has shown that public cemeteries are not secure for one to bury his beloved one.

    “We have had several stories of hoodlums 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. It is terrible. As Africans, we cherish and have great respect for our beloved late 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 hoodlums 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?

    “In my own opinion, I would even suggest that the government should privatise the existing public cemeteries for better security and management. They can even build more and give them to private businessmen to manage, because it is not easy for an individual to establish private cemeteries.

    “If you go to the bank for a loan to establish such, it would be very difficult for you to get it. And where you get one, the interest rate will scare you. The cost of using private cemeteries is so much because the cost of maintaining them is very high. They spend so much on maintenance, staff salaries and other overhead costs.

    “Another reason for the high cost is because they are very few. If there are financial opportunities for many people to establish private cemeteries across the country, you will find that the cost of using it will drop drastically.”

    Reverend Father Paulinus Uju, OP, a parish priest of Dominican Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos, traced the origin of public cemetery to globalization and cultural interaction.

    He said: “The point at which we began to go to public cemeteries is as good as asking for the point we started going to fast food joints to eat burger instead of eating meals prepared at home. We live in a world of globalization and cultural interaction.

    “Westerners go to designated places they call cemeteries or grave yards to bury their people. I come from a culture where you don’t have these designated places for burying people. What we have is the culture of burying their people by the side of their homes and sometimes in the middle of their living room because our tradition believes in the living dead.

    “This is in line with the belief that our ancestors who have gone are really not dead but are living with the people, and we want to associate with them even though they are physically gone.

    “This practice is a product of globalization and cultural interaction like I said earlier. It is globalization in the sense that when the missionaries came around in those days and because they also were products of their own civilization, they came with the culture of burying people in designated areas.

    “The same civilization brought about the ownership of public cemeteries by the government. This is what you call product of social dynamics. We interact a lot in our world today and things change.”

    He averred that the choice of going to private cemetery to bury the dead is all about boosting one’s ego.

    “Going to private cemeteries is all about money. In our world today, the more money you have, the more you display it. I am talking of social dynamics. People want to show that they belong somewhere. For those who go to such cemeteries, it is all about some kind of ego, so to speak. It is all about instead of going to pile up the body of their late ones on top of other bodies, I would prefer a private cemetery where there is a sort of elitism. It is all about ego boosting, otherwise when somebody is dead, he is dead.

    “So far we have buried most of our dead here in Atan cemetery and I have never heard of any serious security problem there. Probably the problem there at the moment at Atan cemetery is that the whole place is filled up.

    “Like I said, you may not want to go there to pile up the body of a loved one on top of several other corpses or graves. If you talk of security, fine. But it is not much about security; it is about ego, boosting your social standing. If you belong to an elitist society, you would not want to put the body of a loved one in such a place that you may consider to be degrading.

    “The money spent on such burial is wasteful. It is vanity. Vanity upon vanity the scripture says is vanity. The dead is dead. Wherever you bury somebody does not matter. That is one thing that the Christians can borrow from the Muslims. The simplicity of what they call burial is what we Christians can borrow.

    “That is why some dioceses in Nigeria have made it mandatory that once you have somebody to bury, you must never exceed seven days in order to curtail expenses, because people know now there are instances where those left behind become very poor after such elitist and expensive burial. It is all about ego and it is all vanity.

    “When Muritala Mohammed died, he was buried in something that looked like a basket. That was a whole head of state. But here we are; those who believe in resurrection spending so much money, so much ostentation burying the dead. In the end, those left behind become impoverished because somebody died. It is all vanity. Whether you bury somebody in the sky or in the depth of the sea, they are the same corpse. Why would you impoverish the living because somebody is dead?

  • Alade Odunewu is dead

    Alade Odunewu is dead

    Veteran journalist, Alhaji Alade Odunewu, popularly known as Allah De, is dead.

    He died at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos today.

    He was 85.  He was Chairman, Board of the Nigeria Merit Award (NMMA).

    He was Commissioner for Imformation in Lagos under the administration of Alhaji Lateef Jakande.

    He will be buried tomorrow according to Islamic rites.

  • Six dead in road accident

    Six people have died while returning from a funeral at Arochukwu as the bus in which they were travelling collided with a car at Ohafia, Abia State.

    The accident occurred near the Goodluck Jonathan Barracks of the 14 Brigade, Ohafia.

    A soldier said he was on duty at the main entrance of the barracks when the bus tried to overtake a vehicle but rammed into the car, which was coming in the opposite direction.

    He said the bus, somersaulted hitting another bus parked close by, killing six people in the process.

    An eyewitness, Lazarus Idika, said he was working in his workshop when he heard a loud sound which made him to head towards the source of the sound, and that on reaching there he saw the vehicles with passengers trapped inside.

    He said: “We decided to break the bus with axes and diggers to bring out the bodies that were trapped and save the survivors.

    “The passengers in the car -a man and a woman- were injured. They were taken to the hospital and are responding to treatment.”

    A survivor said the passengers were returning from a funeral at Arochukwu. He said they were really pressed for time, which must have been why the driver was speeding.

    “The driver was speeding but he became careless. He did not check before overtaking; there was no way the accident could have been avoided,” he said.

    Police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbomna could not be reached for comments.

  • Five dead in Delta road crash

    Five persons died yesterday in multiple accidents on the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway. Eleven others were injured.

    The victims were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, where they are receiving treatment.

    The multiple accidents involved an articulated truck with registration number SNK 77 XA, a truck with registration number KWA 12 XA, a Mitsubishi L300 marked GDD 295 XA and a Nissan Quest marked DX 219 FST.

    The accidents occurred at Okwe Junction in Asaba when the truck carrying cement lost control while descending a hill.

    An eyewitness said the truck hit the Nissan Quest and it veered into the pavement at the centre of the dual carriage way.

    He said the trailer driver, who lost control, rammed into the Mitsubishi bus fully loaded with passengers heading to Onitsha, crushing it against the Iveco truck which was in front.

    Spokesman of the State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Julius Bassey confirmed the incident.

  • Burying the dead

    A very interesting but unusual event played out in the Awka diocese of the Catholic Church in Anambra State last week. According to reports, the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Rt. Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor has banned the compulsory levying of church members in the diocese. For him, members should rather be encouraged to donate freely.

    The Bishop also banned the practice requiring relatives of a dead person to clear their church dues before their dead relation can be buried. He said, such clearance should be for the dead alone and not include their relatives. Bishop Ezeokafor justified his decisions on the ground that the church should show “compassion to the bereaved as such insensitivity makes people leave the church after burial”.

    Bishop Ezeokafor has said it all. He has demonstrated that he is at home with the realities and sensibilities of the people of his diocese. He must therefore be commended for this visionary and compassionate decision. Catholics in the Awka diocese who would have been grieving under the yoke of sundry levies will now heave a heavy sigh of relief. It is very surprising that relatives of the dead are made to clear their dues in the church in addition to those of their dead relations before the dead can be buried.

    Given the high cost of burials especially in the eastern part of the country, such a practice adds up to increase the burden of the bereaved while trying to bury their loved ones. And in a cultural setting that has been contending with sundry demands on the bereaved, asking them to clear their debts before their relations can be buried amounts to adding salt to injury. Little wonder those who have had the misfortune of losing their loved ones usually post a record of debts after such burials. Burials in that part of the country have turned into a huge business. There are minimum standards a burial must meet irrespective of the financial standing of the families involved. And by a very conservative estimate, that minimum is definitely beyond the reach of an average family. That is why most families resort to taxing adult members each time they are faced with burial plans for their loved ones. But for the small gifts that come by way of condolences, the situation would have been something else.

    Beyond all these, the decision of the bishop has brought to the fore the attitude of the church and the larger public to the dead. I do not know what obtains in other churches. But in the Catholic Church which is under focus, there is the need to show more compassion to the bereaved especially in the rural areas. The conduct of some church leaders when it comes to securing clearance from the church to bury a dead member is something to watch. Some of those charged with overseeing such matters sometimes go outside their mandate to enter judgment on the conduct of a dead member. They behave as church judges with awesome powers to determine who to bury or not. And at issue most often, is money. Given the limitations of some of those who preside over these decisions, their rulings on matters brought before them can sometimes irritate.

    Little slips are blown out of proportion sometimes to settle personal scores. Families have been denied their burial rights on issues that ordinarily should be resolved in their favour. Many of those who could not bear it are known to have even left the church in protest. That is the point the Bishop raised when he spoke of compassion and how such insensitivity compel people to leave the church after such burials in protest.

    The issues the bishop addressed are so fundamental that they should not be limited to the Awka diocese alone. Multiplicity of levies and the issue accountability for such have to be looked into. There are several levies members are asked to pay in the rural areas that sometimes end up in the pockets of some unscrupulous officials. These should be streamlined. Sometimes, it is also difficult to say with some measure of accuracy what constitutes the mandatory levies members should pay.

    It may be on account of the confusion that goes with this that the bishop had to take the radical decision of abolishing all forms of levies. Good as the decision is, the real problem with the levies is in the manner concerned church official deploy them to deny members of their rights especially at death. They exploit the desire of every catholic to be buried by the church to intimidate, harass and deny members of their rights on very flimsy grounds. Admittedly, a church member should be up and doing in his church obligations. But the church is not all about money. The church should not discriminate between the rich and the poor. Where a member is unable to meet all his financial obligations at death, the church could still bury such a person. It is our duty to bury the dead. That is the compassion the bishop talked about.

    More seriously, traditional churches are increasingly facing serious challenges from the new ones. Some practices are also being challenged by events in the new generation churches. Some of these new generation churches, even with all their limitations focus more on the welfare of their members. Little wonder the increasing patronage they are getting. The Catholic Church cannot shut its eyes to these developments.

    The bishop struck the right chord when he averred that multiplicity of levies and requiring members to offset their dead relations’ debts before they can be buried sometimes compel members to leave the church. It is a statement of fact which the Catholic Church cannot afford to ignore. It is true that the Catholic Church is a universal church. It is also true that apart from some of these levies and the abuse of them by sundry church officials; it is one church where people contribute according to their volition.

    It is good a thing that the bishop has spared some thought to practices that are capable of demoralizing ardent members to the extent of leaving the church. Before now, such decisions to leave the church were hard to come by. But not anymore as things are fast changing. The subsisting protests at the Ahiara diocese of the Catholic Church in Imo state over the appointment of a new bishop are clear indications that it is no longer business as usual. Before now, such protests led by very senior priests against the decision of the Pope were unthinkable.

    The Catholic Church must therefore rise to the challenge of identifying extant practices that create problems for members and modify them in keeping with the realities of our time. Bishop Ezeokafor has taken the lead and it is in the overall interest of the Catholic Church that such practices that force members out of their faith are either modified or abrogated. Where there is need to maintain some of these levies, steps must be taken to reduce abuse.

    Above all, the church must do more to prune down the high cost of burials in the eastern part of the county. That is the key message brought to the fore by Bishop Ezeokafors’ directive.

  • First Lady: I was dead for one week

    First Lady: I was dead for one week

    First Lady Patience Jonathan yesterday recounted, for the first time, her experience in a German hospital last year.

    She declared herself “dead for one week”, but God gave her a second chance.

    Speaking at a special church thanksgiving service at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Mrs. Jonathan said she underwent eight to nine surgeries within one month.

    The First Lady left for Germany on September 3, last year and returned on October 19. She also travelled in January for a medical check-up.

    Her state of health generated a huge controversy as the Presidency kept denying that she was ill.

    Her spokesman Ayo Osinlu said she travelled abroad to take “a moment’s rest”.

    Special Adviser to the President Dr. Reuben Abati dismissed Mrs Jonathan’s widely reported illness as “a rumour”, adding: “There’s nothing like that.”

    Yesterday, Mrs Jonathan likened her experience to that of the Biblical Lazarus. She expressed gratitude to God for keeping her alive as she rededicated herself to doing things that will touch the lives of the less privileged in the society.

    She said: “I remember when Chief Obasanjo was the President of the country, I was close to his late wife, Stella. We worshipped together in this chapel. It was a painful moment for me at that time when she died and her corpse was brought here.

    “That was how my corpse would have been brought here. It was not an easy experience for me. I actually died. I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened.

    “I am not Lazarus, but my experience was similar to his. My doctors said all hope was lost. A black doctor in London, who is with us in this service, was flown in when the situation became critical. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days.”

    She added: “I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead. They are people that I trust and rely on. To them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold my things off.”

    “I won’t say everything here. It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive. When God says yes, nobody can say no.”

    “People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it (surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the theatre everyday.”

    “It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine surgeries within one month. It was not an easy one. The day I came back, I said God I have nothing to say, I offer myself to you. I will be doing things that will touch the lives of the less privilege.”

    “God gave me second chance because I reached there. He knew I have not completed the assignments He gave me, that was why I was sent back.” She stated.

    Mrs. Jonathan returned to the country on October 17, last year to the warm embrace of the President, her son, the President’s mother Eunice, family members, friends, staff and other well wishers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

    “I thank God Almighty for bringing me back safely to Nigeria. Wherever there are good people, there are also bad ones.

    “There are few Nigerians that are saying whatever they like but not what God planned because God has a plan for all of us. And God has said it all that where two or three are gathered in His name, he will be with them. And Nigerians gathered and prayed for me and God listened and heard their prayers. So, I thank God for that.

    “At the same time, I will use this opportunity to tell those few ones that are saying that anybody that goes into the villa or Aso Rock will die.

    “They mentioned Abacha, they mentioned Stella Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and other people. Why didn’t they mention those ones that went there with their families, succeeded and still came out alive.

    “We should remember that Aso Rock is the seat of power and that is where God has ordained for we Nigerians that our leaders should rule from, and rule us right. God is wonderful and his infinite mercies endure.

    “But at the same time, I will use this opportunity to thank my beloved husband and my children and my staff in general and all Nigerians for standing by me during my trying time.

    “God has given me a second chance to come and work with the women of Nigeria, children and the less privileged. I have come to serve Nigeria. I have come to work with Nigerians. I’m there for them. Once more, I am pleased to be back.

    “I love Nigerians. They are my family.”

    She spoke more on her mystery illness later at a reception at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, saying: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and staff they comfort me.

    “It is, therefore, the Grace of God, expressed in His kindness and mercy, and the supplications of you all that I stand before you today, as a living testimony to the goodness of the Lord

    “This is especially so when you remember that I emerged from a situation that can be said to defy logic and even challenged medical science.”

    Dame Patience said Aso Rock Villa must be regarded at the nation’s centre of power and authority and not the devil’s playground. “It is our spiritual duty to sanctify and declare it the city of God, where only the will of God shall always prevail.”

    The first lady said she had decided to re-dedicate herself to the service of God, the Nigerian women, youths, children, the less-privileged, the vulnerable, the poor and the disadvantaged.

    She expressed gratitude to God, her husband, her mother and mother in-law who she said were genuinely concerned about her, praying for her recovery.

    President Jonathan said the recovery of his wife would put an end to the mystery of death of a leader or spouse at the seat of power in Aso Rock.

    He said the insinuation of the mystery of death at the seat of power was rife during his wife’s illness.

    He expressed gratitude to God for keeping her, saying that “if anything had happened, there would have been different stories from false prophets and many other things would have followed.

    Said the President: “We all know we will all die but the best time to die is not when you are serving your nation.”

    Aso Rock Chaplain Ven. Obioma Onwuzumba said that the belief, that death usually strikes one of the couple that occupies the seat of power in Aso Rock never came to pass in the case of Dame Patience.

    He noted that through fervent prayers, the enemy that wanted to put fear and obstacle in the way of the Jonathan family was put to shame.

    “We have a great story to tell today; the First Lady is hale and hearty”, Rev. Onwuzumba said.

    Songs and praises were rendered by various gospel artistes and the Aso Rock Villa choir at the reception.

    A special presentation of the portrait of the President and the First Lady in joyous mood was presented to the first family by Ministers of Land and Urban Development Ms Ama Pepple and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke, on behalf of members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    Dignitaries at the ceremony included former Ghananian President John Kuffor; former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Maryam Aloma Mukthar; former First Ladies, Maryam Abacha and Justice Fati Abubakar, and wife of former Vice President Titi Abubakar.

    Also present were Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy House Speaker Emeka Ihedioha; Governors Godwill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom State), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Theodore Oji (Abia), and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).Dame Abimbola Fashola, wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs Oluwakemi Mimiko, wife of the Ondo State Governor, among others.

    There were also actors and actresses and other categories of people and politicians.

  • One dead in Owerri building collapse

    ONE person was confirmed dead and several others injured when a two-storey building under construction on the Works Layout, Owerri, the state capital, collapsed.

    It was learnt that the building caved in on Monday night following a heavy downpour.

    The victim, simply identified as Ikenna, was said to be a carpenter working in the building.

    An eyewitness said the incident occurred around 10pm during a heavy rain that flooded parts of the town.

    It was also learnt that the building collapsed after the owner’s younger brother left the site for his hotel.

    Police spokesman Vitalis Onugu confirmed the incident.

    He said one person died in the incident.

  • Suspected killer of Gen Shuwa shot dead, says JTF

    Suspected killer of Gen Shuwa shot dead, says JTF

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno, Operation Restore Order, said yesterday it had killed the man suspected to have shot dead Major Gen. Muhammadu Shuwa, 79, a civil war hero, who was last month shot dead in his home in Maiduguri.

    The task force, in statement, said: “In a sustained follow up operations this afternoon (yesterday) the combined troops of the JTF Operation Restore Order, 333 Air Defence Regiment, the Department of State Security, supported by Armoured Personnel Carriers with helicopters, conducted a major offensive operation against the insurgent terrorists at Nganaram, Bulabulin and Bayan Quarters areas of Maiduguri metropolis.

    “During the offensive and in the counter attack, a major commander of the Boko Haram terrorist sect, commanding the Northeest and the Northeast of Maiduguri by name Ibn Saleh Ibrahim, with some of his commanders and foot soldiers were killed by our operating troops.”

    The JTF said the clampdown was ongoing, revealing that Ibrahim was confirmed to be responsible for the assassination of the late Gen. Shuwa (rtd).

    It added that Ibrahim acted on the orders of sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, that the civil war hero must be eliminated.

    Lt. Col. Sagir Musa said the military recovered several weapons, including ammunition and improvised explosive devices, during the operation.

     

  • Car dealer shot dead in Onitsha

    Onitsha, the Anambra State commercial city, was panic-stricken yesterday as gun men killed a car dealer and kidnapped another.

    The attack took place at about 7.30 am at Modebe Avenue junction by St. John ’s Street.

    The car dealer victim was identified as Chief Emeka Ekwerendu.

    Divisional Police Officer, Central Police Station, Onitsha, Mr. Temitope Fasugba and Anambra Police spokesman Ralph Uzoigwe confirmed the incident.

    It was gathered that a four- man gang that operated in a light green Toyota Sienna car without a number-plate trailed their victim from a Catholic Church in Odo-Akpu after he dropped his children at a primary school in Onitsha before he was shot dead.

    An eyewitness said Ekwerendu was riding in his black Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with registration number ABC 202AJ before the robbers shot at his tyres.

    His vehicle lost control and hit a parked vehicle before they shot him from behind.

    The way the robbers went to the car boot and made away with undisclosed huge sums of money made observers describe the scene as coordinated.

    The suspected robbers/kidnappers were armed with four AK 47 riffles. It was learn that they were shooting sporadically into the air to scare people away. They escaped through Anionwu Street when their victim was confirmed dead.

    Also yesterday a businessman was reportedly kidnapped in Fegge.

    The identity of the victim was not yet known, but an eyewitnesses said the victim was kidnapped on his way back from church.