By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
A Non Governmental Organization, Open Forum has called on Akwa Ibom government to review traditional laws governing the performance of burial and marriage rites, describing current practices in most communities as exploitative.
Founder of the organisation, Mathew Okono madr the call at a news conference yesterday in Uyo on the heels of the successful burial of a 71 year old woman abandoned in the mortuary for seven years.
Okono said excessive demands for performance of some traditional rites have led to abandonment of many corpses in mortuaries discouraged many prospective groom from completing their marriage rites
“It is a known fact that certain families and communities in Akwa Ibom State place exorbitant demands for traditional rights, especially involving women before a deceased can be buried by the family.
“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.” He said.
He said that the current economic realities in Akwa Ibom and Nigeria could not sustain the volume of demands by some families in some parts of the state,
“In some cases ranges from mandatory payment of seven (7) or more goats or cow(s) alongside other exorbitant items and cash before their loved ones can be allowed to be buried. Defaulters are threatened with traditional injunctions and fetish invocations.
“This has led many to abandon their loved ones in the morgue for a number of months to years. Some who meet up these mandatory traditional demands have gone into debt or disposed off their, sometimes only landed property or source of livelihood to bury their dead, after which they slide into perennial poverty.
“In the same vein, the Akwa Ibom State Government with the highest traditional institution in the state should streamline the traditional cost of marriage items, including dowry to enable our young men and women to consummate their unions without going bankrupt or staying single till some cross the desirable age of marriage.
“Those with means should be free to give what they wish, but there should be an official standard to help the larger majority of citizens who have multidimensional poverty to grapple with” He explained.
Okono said some states have enacted new burial and marriage laws and ‘Open Forum strongly advocates that Akwa Ibom State should tow this pro-people line by enacting ‘The Akwa Ibom Marriage System Law” as a matter of urgent public importance.
“If these advocacies are acted upon, the reproach of corpses being abandoned in morgues or families sliding into poverty after the burial of their loved ones will be addressed.
“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.” He concluded.
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