Sunday, September 16, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
who wants to be cremated?
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| Cremation Box that contains the remains of the late Mrs .Caroline Molara Agbebi Adejumo[Nee Ishola] |
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| Pa Popoola Olaniyi Ishola |
Cremation story
Who wants to be
cremated?
When the sponsored
Bill on Cremation started few
weeks ago , it generated a lot of controversies, while many frowned against it
only few accepted that it is high time Nigerians started cremating . But Pa Popoola Olaniyi Ishola recently buried the box that contained the ashes of his cremated sister who was cremated in London in 1979.He buried the box in his compund in Awe town near Oyo , Oyo state.Taiwo Abiodun writes
Who wants to be cremated? .Put it in a lay man’s language : Who would like his body to be burnt
into ashes when he is dead and gone? .This is what has been generating
controversies for the past three months when a member of Lagos House of Assembly, Honourable Hodewu Suru
Avoseh passed the Bill and prayed to the
Lagos State government to pass it into
Law .
Cremation is a method of using high heat and flame to physically reduce human body to ashes and also crushing the bones into a powder .After
cremation the family may decide to throw
the ashes into the sea, mountain tops, or desert , it may how however be kept
at home for ever or the container be buried in the garden, or cemetery.
Since the Bill proposed by the Honourable that unclaimed
dead bodies and unidentified ones in the government mortuaries
should be cremated mouths have been wagging while many opposed to
it that it is unAfrican and not in our
culture, few attempted efforts to sell
the idea it to the populace. When
approached , Hon Avoseh said nobody is forced to cremate his family member
compulsory but was borne out of the non availability of land in Lagos state, he
added that the rate at which the Lagos state is going , it might not have space again to bury
their beloved ones so therefore it is advisable to be burning corpses in order
to save costs and preserved land.
He said ‘’The bill on cremation is borne out of the situation of our mortuaries which is appalling, it is the displeasure of the state of mortuary
in the state the committee reported that what they saw was decomposed bodies
lying there for 2, 3 years decomposing’’
According to the Honourable , An Adhoc committee which was
led by one Hon. A. Adeyeye was set up to look into the state of
the mortuaries in Lagos state and from their report, Avoseh said ‘'
when those members were sent out with the hospital attendants and officers,
from what they told us they were not allowed to do the mass burial. What they
said they experienced was appalling , as they met resistance where they wanted to do the mass
burial. They were chased away by the community members. The environmental officers despite the
security officers that were provided for their protection ,they were all
humiliated as no community wants to release their land for the mass burial. We have received so many petitions
that the dead bodies buried
in the areas causes a lot of foul odour of which they can no longer condone.
Crematorium
Cremation is not new , according to Cremation Statistics ,
the first Cremation was in America in 1876, and the USA cremation was only one
percent in 1900., While in 1960, the USA recorded three per cent of cremation. The Roman Church
approved Cremation in 1963, while in the USA, the number of cremation increased
to 10 per cent in 1980., and in 2005 it increased to 30 per cent.
India is noted to have the highest cremation history , as it
recorded 100 per cent in 2005, while Japan has 97 per cent in 2005, Nevada has
65 per cent in 2005 , Tennessee has 5
per cent recorded in 2005.
In Nigeria, though cremation is not popular , but it is
believed that the Indians among Nigerians do cremate their dead ones but not
pronounced.
According to Avoseh ‘’The Bill is in progress. Most of us don’t know what
crematorium is , many thought it is just to throw in corpses into live furnace as it is being done
in the old., into live fire , but the crematorium we are talking about is a systematic burning ,it involves burning but
it is a modern system of burning,’’
Avoseh said, adding ‘’We went as far as Florida to see how it is being
practised by St Matthews and when we got there, we were convinced of what we
saw and experienced .Now the Lagos state government is building crematorium here and it will soon be completed for use,. The only thing we are
waiting for is the law to back it up’’ Avoseh told The
Nation.
He affirmed that the crematorium proposed is for the
unclaimed corpses, and it is not for every dead
’’ we only make provision for voluntary cremation, if somebody wishes to be cremated for his
dead body or his relation that had died we make a provision for that if per
adventure we have Chinese, we have
Indians among us living in our midst
and that is their
culture ,cremation, so we make
provision for that and back it with Law. This is not addressing every corpse to
be buried in Lagos state, that every dead person should be cremated in Lagos
state , no, that is not law.’’
Witness cremation
Avesoh said he had seen or witnessed how cremation is
being carried out, he said ‘’A lot of cremation took place when we
visited a place in Florida in America .Within one hour, cremation is done .The
process is simple, the crematorium is an oven of which electricity is
being provided. In the cremation process
if they are unclaimed corpses , say about 3 or 4 lying in the crematorium , then
the switch will be on, it is automatic and it has duration and within few hours the corpses will turn
into ashes and will be packed together and stored or saved . We were there when
voluntary cremation took place, we were there when the number of corpses brought there within two or three hours was
over 300 voluntarily and they were in cardboard
coffin , not in caskets because you cannot cremate casket, so it is
cheap , easy and no ceremony attached .’’
Public cemeteries
A visit to some of
the public cemeteries in Lagos
is convincing that the cemeteries
are full over the years. It therefore shows
that there is need for another location if the idea of cremation
is not acceptable .At Matori, Mushin cemetery one could see some of the tombs
which had been there for over
50years, as many had their dates inscribed on them. Some have 50,30,20 years on the tombs but these are exclusively for the so called
rich ones in those days who bought family vaults. A staff who does not want his
name in print said ‘’ But today, some of
the vaults have caved –in, some vaults are virtually empty and, no wonder that some of these
suspected ritualists make the
place their business centres, as many had been caught in the past for
possessing human parts. Not only this , it is quite difficult to have a space,
therefore within a month, three to four corpses are buried on top of another .Other shallow vaults are unkempt as foul odour
is emitting from them since the graves are not deep. Although the
environment is clean and trees have
sprouted there producing green and healthy leaves which form shade over the area
.Another staff said ‘’ we do take care of people’s corpses who give us good money and this would make
the vault be catered for sometime , but the fact is that there is no more land in Lagos
state., and the Local Council has failed to perform their duties .
At the Ikoyi cemetery
, the story is not different . One of the staff who said he is a good source
said ‘’ about 10people are buried in the same vault within one or two months .The bitter truth is that these places
are congested, there was a time when
human skulls are just like pepper
and tomatoes because they are
bought cheaply and if they are not seen cheaply they could not have been
bought cheaply too. When about ten to
twenty people are buried in the same vault no matter how deep the vault is it will
be congested one day. The fact is that there is no more space here, no more
land here.
Archbishop Olubunmi Okogie kicked against cremation and said ‘’ it
is unacceptable’’
Speaking with Very Rev. Msgr.
Gabriel Osu , the Director of Social Communication of Lagos Catholic Church, he
frowned against it and said ‘’ the law makers should stop this debate and look
for other things to do. How can we talk about cremation in a society that
respects human body , but unfortunately we no longer respect our dead ones seeing the way we treat our dead ones. ’’.
He continued ’’ we have our own cemetery in Ikoyi and we do
take care of it. Go and look at it .I think the state government
should look for alternative land and buy land like other private undertakers and
others who bought land where they buried
their clients’ bodies.
In the case of cremation, Osu said since we believed in the
resurrection and the after life , we should bury the dead in the
ground in order to resurrect on the day
of resurrection.
Rev,[Dr]Moses Iloh described the idea of cremation as nonsense,’’
there is no where in the Bible
where the Lord approved of cremation. People
who burn bodies do not understand .God
took time to create us in His own image. When a man is dead it is proper to lay
him and bury in the ground for him to decay as the Bible rightly puts it
, we are from the earth we came and to
the dust we shall return. Burning of bodies is unChristian .The idea is from the Hindus , Buddhists and
Chintos .They don’t understand and know God as the creator.’’
On the issue of lack of land in Lagos , Iloh disagreed and said ‘’ in
the world today we have about 4billion people and because of the wickedness of
man some don’t have a house but there is
always a place to lay their heads in the
night. In the day, you see people walking thinking they would not have a place to lay
their heads but when night comes you will not find anybody outside
as they had gone somewhere to sleep. The state government should go and buy
land and find ample facilities of
burying their people . You cannot burn
the dead because the spirit belongs to God’’.
Pa Popoola Olaniyi
Ishola
He sees nothing wrong
in cremation , and said it will soon be in vogue in Nigeria. He, last week buried the ashes of his cremated sister
in England since 1979, in his compound
in Awe, Oyo state.
Penultimate Saturday, Pa Popoola Olaniyi Ishola ,78, brought out his late elder sister’s remnants
[ashes]sealed a small box he had kept in
his house since 1979 and buried it in
his compound in Awe.
‘’ That small box contained the remnants of my sister ,
Madam Caroline Omolara Agbebi Adejumo[nee Ishola] who died in England in 1979, then her children
were still small. I was there during the cremation, it was a simple thing . There
was a church service , The family members
of the deceased attended the service ,which was conducted by a Christian and thereafter the coffin was wheeled into the factory , and within 10minutes everything was over as
the incinerator has melted the body and
the casket, and a wooden sealed box appeared in the other end of the factory
with her name engraved on it . The small box
that contained the ashes is then given to the family members
of the deceased. All these is done for
a fee paid by the family ’’ .
Pa Ishola said immediately he came back from England then ,
he went to the church for another funeral service in Awe, his home town in Oyo state, Nigeria,
‘’Now , I am repeating it, I want to
bury the box that contained the ashes in my compound.’’
Asked how he coped with the ashes for 33years without having
nightmares, the septuagenarian looked at the
ceiling and parted his lips with a smile, and said’’ I feel comfortable .It is like I
am superstitious , as I feel like my sister’s spirit is woven around
me , protecting me .I believe she was no more physical but spiritual . I felt
protected throughout .I have seen where people in overseas keep the ashes of their beloved ones on top of their shelves
showing visitors that that is where they keep the remnants of their beloved
ones .Some bury the small box and plant beautiful and flowers with good aroma
on them and as they blossom and grow , they tell you that the scent of their
beloved ones is smelling fine.
Asked why he decided to bury the box after 33years, the old
man defended himself and said ‘’ But when my sister’s daughter who is based in
England said she wanted her mother to be buried
I said okay, let them come and do that .We dug a place in my compound
where the box will be interred.’’
Ishola supported cremation, the old man said ‘’ there
is nothing bad in cremation as Lagos planned it , you see there is no more land
again. The reason why they cremate bodies in advanced countries is lack of land. I like it , it is practical .I happened to be in India
about five times and they burnt corpses in hundreds in the public with
firewood!. In South Eastern Asian countries it is a normal thing.’’
In spite of all the
defence he gave on cremation, Ishola, does not want to be cremated when he is gone as he said he has enough land
and places in his home town. His words
‘’Since I have houses
and there is enough land here in my home
town ,I don’t think my body should be cremated
as their custom in some of these countries where they don’t have
land,’’, he continued .
‘’In Lagos , it is like they have foreseen what would happen in the future, that would tell
you that Lagos is congested with corpses in the cemeteries .I once lived at 24, Igbosere street ,in Lagos , where most of the
prominent tombs have been exhumed and
reburied somewhere. They exhumed the body of Bishop Ajayi Crowther from The
Cathedral Church , in Lagos to Lokoja, the church took a decision over the
matter. So cremation is supported where there is no enough land ‘’.
Niyi, one of the children of the deceased too argued in support of
cremation and said ‘’ I support cremation because I cannot imagine seeing maggots coming out
from the body of a human being and
stinking! .When I am gone I also
want to be cremated.”.
Speaking about his experience in witnessing his
mother’s cremation, he said ‘’ I was
very young when my mother died and was
cremated , I live in England and could
see that they cremate, so I found
nothing bad or wrong in that.
VOX POP
Ndubuisi Maduka [a
boutique owner]
Yes, ok, why not .
‘’If there is no more land in Lagos and the state believes cremation is the only
solution then that is okay. If I die ,
in Lagos I would be taken to my village and
if there is land to bury me fine , but if there is none and the
government suggested cremation it is still okay so far it is the government
policy. Yes, it is true that cremation is not part of our culture
but when it comes to the issue of
non availability of land we have no choice than to be cremated .Yes, I support
it if that is the cogent reason they could give’’.
Chief Bola Ogunmola, a retired engineer from NITEL
Cremate me
I love it, it is only strange in Nigeria because
many are not used to it. I have told my
children not to bother to celebrate or
buy expensive coffin , it is all waste ... They can cremate me , it is okay. The moment a man is dead he is dead and gone. But in Nigeria, we enjoy
celebration , spending and wasting our hard earned resources, money, land and
other things. The Hindus, Chinese do it , when a man is burnt with engine , the
ashes are kept in a bottle and given to the family or sprinkle on the river .Some keep
the ashes in their cupboard and started
showing it to all and sundry. The Hindus , appreciate this more than anything. But in Nigeria here ,
you will see those who cannot afford three square meal per day celebrating the
dead, spending hard earned money on the
dead that they did not do when alive .Creation is okay, the fact is that it has
not been popular
Supo
Adetifa,
It is a bad idea and
Unchristian
‘’I don’t believe
in cremation .It is against the will of
God. It is evil, it is ungodly and devilish. How can you burn human being and
say you are doing the right thing?.I
don’t like it, I don’t believe in it .In
fact those who do it cannot generalise
it that all of them are doing it. In Yoruba Culture, we respect the dead, even
in Africa as a whole. We would like to know where the dead are buried in order
to be going there to pray when the need
arises. That is why Muslim bury their corpses
one hour, to avoid contamination .We need to respect our culture ,
values and belief. I strongly disagreed, the
Lagos state government should go and acquire more lands. There are lots
and lots of land wasting away and I
believe they can be used for this
purpose’’.
Well, the debate is on , according to Honourable Avoseh ,the
state government has already constructed
crematorium , and it is for the Bill to
be passed and become Law. The world is
waiting.
Pastor Duromola Samuel
It is wrong
The General Overseer of Christ Worshippers Church, Warri
said he is totally against it .’’Where
did you find it in the Bible that they burnt dead bodies?. This is wrong ,it is
unchristian and ungodly. I wonder
why we should be thinking about cremation at this time .We have enough land all over the country, immediately Lagos state started
this now other states will follow same .We are not Hindus or Indians who don’t
respect the dead. We revered and respect our dead ones , we don’t throw them
away or burn them in Africa, it is not in our culture. No, Never!.
With this controversies , now the question is :who wants to be cremated
when he is dead?
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