- Calls for Departure From Burials In Residential Areas
DELTA State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has called for a more dignifying way of burying the dead as against the outdated practice of doing so in residential areas.
He made the call over the weekend in Asaba, the Delta State Capital at the commissioning of a 2000-grave capacity cemetery built by Vaults and Gardens Limited.
The Governor, who was represented by the Chief of Staff (Government House), Hon Prince Johnson Erijo noted that cemeteries were no longer places reserved only for burials, but also served as historical and cultural resources, as well as places of solace and reflection for the living.
He maintained that burying loved ones near their houses was no longer sustainable due to the growth in human population, just as it defaced the environment, led to water pollution and reduced the monetary value of property.
Oborevwori added that it was more secure to bury in cemeteries, where the bodies could be better preserved for posterity, leaving an enduring legacy of the dead and making their success stories continually told.
He commended Vaults and Gardens Limited for investing in the cemetery and urged members of the public to take advantage of its importance to the community to give their loved ones befitting burials.
In his remarks, the Director General of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency (DSCTDA), Chief Patrick Ukah said the private sector-driven cemetery was the first of its kind in the capital territory.
Chief Ukah explained that although the state government had no hand in the cemetery, its establishment was facilitated by the conducive environment made possible by Governor Oborevwori’s MORE Agenda.
He spoke on the implications of burying the dead in clustered areas, saying that with the cemetery there would be an improvement in the environment and public health.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Oshimili South Local Government, Kelvin Ezenyili, described the establishment of the cemetery in Asaba as a significant development and pledged the support of the Council for the initiative.
Also speaking, the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Obi (Prof) Epiphany Azinge, SAN, represented by the Secretary of the Asagba-in-Council, Ogbueshi Patrick Ndili, commended the investor for addressing one issue that had been of great concern to him, stressing that burying the dead in residential areas constituted serious health hazards and was no longer sustainable.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Group Managing Director of Vaults and Gardens Limited, Mr Ade Ogundeyin, traced the history of cemeteries in Nigeria to Ikoyi, Lagos, where he said investing in vaults had become a lucrative business.
He commended the Delta State Government for creating the enabling environment for the cemetery to become a reality and urged Deltans and other residents of the state to utilize the facility to befittingly bury their dead and invest in vault business.
