Letter
Sir,
Cremation of Corpses
I read with mixed feelings, shock and disbelief that another imported cultural practice is now at our door-steps.
What has the aura of a fairy tale assumed flesh and personality when it was reported in one of the national dailies that Lagos State House of Assembly has passed into law a bill for a law to provide for voluntary cremation of corpses particularly unclaimed ones in the state mortuaries. The bill has also been sent to the governor, Prof. Babvatunde Fashola ISAN for assent. One of the implications is that once the governor signs the bill into law, any unclaimed corpse in any of the state mortuaries will be cremated.
My concern is why allow some dead ones to begin the journey to hell from this terrestrial plane? Biblically, we are told that hell-fire is the penalty for unrighteous life style while on earth. Both the Christian bible and Muslim quran do not differ on the concept of hell and hell-fire.
Are there no Christians or Muslims in that House to call the members to order and desist from encroaching on issues with dire spiritual consequence I am yet to recover from the shock induced by the passage of the bill which is like sentencing some loved ones to hell- fire.
Cremation is the disposal of the remains of the dead through burning of the corpses, into ashes. The cultural practice has oriental background in countries like Indiaalthough some Western countries do cremate the dead for shortage of land space.
My fear is that other biblical and quranic injunctions may be aside by the introduction of cremation in the country. When these religious values lose their relevance, criminally minded Nigerians will exploit the loophole to any degree. Besides, criminals may begin to cremate their victims to destroy evidence as to the exact nature of death and the circumstances.
Uche Uguru
Umuahia, Abia State.
Some Nigerians are overly predisposed with Plutolatry, the worship of wealth in view of its potentials for transforming individual life-style. The attitude persists because money seems to be everything in this world ranging from personal comfort to beefing up ones image in his family, community and the nation. These categories of Nigerians are indeed lucky to be tenants in theKingdomofEarth.
It is often forgotten that everything on earth is in a state of flux including the so-called status quo which is a temporary tag subject to the laws of change. This is probably why the unnecessary mental luggage of greed and avarice must not be part of one’s earthly acquisitions. However, inspite of its incontestability, some still subscribe to inordinate pursuit of wealth because of its enormous impact on the ego.
Greed and avarice appearing in subtle guises have ruined many lives. The younger generations rather than struggle with their identities shun being apprenticed to a trade and take to kidnapping for ransom which may run into billions of Naira. Armed robbery and car snatching are other violent crimes which could scoop millions of Naira and enable one live ostentatious life-styles as well as worshipped as the only star in the sky. To complement the road to infamy, they buy high sounding chieftaincy titles like “Oku na Miri, Ebube Dike, Osimiri and Ochendu” among others.
Plutolatry, the worship of wealth is a geometrical puzzle and can occur in any combination. Some who crave to be adored and worshipped in view of their fantastic wealth must have used their blood relations and parents for rituals to enable them belong to the envied class of wealthy citizens. Others embezzle billions of public funds in their places of work which may be government department or commercial bank to arrive at the caucus of money bags. The sad thing about such ill-gotten wealth is that the money may not last two or three generations after the criminal act.
If the law of physics which postulates that every action has an equal and opposite reaction is still valid and applicable then, the perpetrators risked much in terms of reputation and personal safety sowing wild oats tantamount to a nullity. A typical example of this insatiability is the case of a French General, Napoleon Bonaparte who was a curse to many nations during the World War 1. The General was quoted within the war years as boasting and demanding “Give me enough medals and I’ll win any war”
Many Nigerians tend to forget that a German philosopher, Fredrich Nietsche once observed that “the purpose of civilization is to convert man, a beast of prey to a tame and civilized animal, a domestic animal”. What should bother these money bags is immortality not ownership of chains of movable and immovable assets often the sweat of other people. Otherwise, they may share the fate of the biblical David who was bathed in great wealth and bodily pleasure in his life time. The King of Israel was quoted as regretting at the point of death “I have built in vain, its all vanity and trash. I’ve spent my years and strength for nothing.
Letter
Sir,
Imo Speaker: The Journey So Far.
One of the tenets of leadership is accountability. It gives the led the opportunity to evaluate the efforts of those they elected to lead them. Accountability is also a sine qua non in any leadership position. However, it needs to be pointed out that when a leader gives account of his stewardship, it brings happiness and joy to the led and they will continue to render their support to such leaders. And that is what democracy is all about. It is not enough for a leader to boast of providing dividends of democracy to his people without giving proper account of such achievements.
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu is the speaker of IMHA. He is also the member representing Ihitte/Uboma State Constituency in the Imo House of Assembly. It is pertinent to state that the Rt. Hon. Speakers has tried in the last few years to provide the required development to the people of Ihitte/Uboma. This implies that by the time he completes his tenure in office, Ihitte/Uboma will become a modern city inImoState. But, I wish to point out that in the last few years, some articles written by me about the activities of Rt. Hon. Uwajumogu, helped in no small measure in advising the Speaker on the need to be diplomatic in carrying out his legislative obligations. I also told him about certain urgent issues that needed his attention. The speaker didn’t hesitate in listening to me, as well as putting things the way they ought to be today, we are in 2013, a year every believer of Christ knows will be a good year.
It is also important to state that various complaints which came to the office of the Speaker, got immediate attention. One of such complaints was the Amaiyi, Ihitte/Uboma road which has claimed several lives in the area. Rt. Hon. Uwajumogu, shortly after a terrible road accident on this veryAmaiyi Road, promised to do something about the road. That promise was kept as various road safety signs and bumps were put in place on the said road, in a bid to avert further calamities.
However, I need to remind the speaker that much as he has lived up to the expectation of his constituents, there are some communities which are grossly marginalized by the state government. One of such communities is Umuderim Autonomous Community. It is imperative to stress that the community has not felt any dividend of democracy since the inception of the present administration. It could be viewed from the aspect that the community can not boast of a modern hospital, pipe borne water, functional school library and building, road network and job opportunities. These are capable of causing youth restiveness in the community. No son or daughter of Umuderim has ever got political appointment. This development has set the community backward. The only primary school in the area is dilapidated. The situation worsens during rainy season. Inspite of the marginalization by the government, the community has remained calm.
It is therefore necessary for the speaker to carefully look into some of these problems facing the community and proffer possible solutions. We are no longer in the dispensation of sharing money. This is time to work.
I believe and pray to Almighty God to lead the Speaker of IMHA, Rt. Hon. Ben Uwajumogu as he leads Ihitte/Uboma to the Promised Land.
Bright Eluagu is a native of Ihitte/Uboma
07062573396 and writes for Imo Trumpeta.
