Saturday, 9 March 2013

Marco Rubio Won't Support Continuing Resolution Unless Obamacare Is Defunded

The Huffington Post  |  By  
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday that he would not support a stopgap bill to fund the government unless it defunded President Barack Obama's health care law, allying him with tea party darling Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
"So look, about a year and a half ago, I voted for the first continuing resolution and then I announced, ‘This is the last continuing resolution, the last stop-gap measure that I am going to vote for. I will only vote, from here on, on something serious,'" he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. "But here is what I’ve said about this continuing resolution, you know Senator Cruz from Texas is offering this amendment to defund Obamacare. If that gets onto the bill, in essence if they get a continuing resolution and we vote on that and we can pass it onto a bill, I will vote for a continuing resolution, even if it’s temporary, because it does something permanent and that is defund this health care bill, this Obamacare bill that is going to be an absolute disaster for the American economy."
Rubio's position puts him to the right of House Republicans, who passed a continuing resolution Wednesday that does not defund the health care law upheld by the Supreme Court. The move caused ire in the conservative blogosphere, with RedState's Erick Erickson accusing the GOP of "capitulation" and threatening primary challenges for House members who voted for it.
The continuing resolution currently funding the government expires on March 27. A replacement resolution with Cruz's amendment attached has no chance of passing in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Therefore, it seems that Rubio's positioning -- touted by his office, which sent out the interview -- is an attempt to curry favor with tea party conservatives.

2015: The Naked Dancers and the Two-Year Marathon


by Nasir El-Rufai
In a functional democracy, the arguments and divisions currently wracking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would be seen as a sign of the healthy debates and disagreements that are critical to democratic progression and the constant alignments and re-alignments that are permanent features of the electoral process.
But Nigerians now know better because the people currently in control of the PDP have no altruistic guiding principles and ideology to shape the party and promote good governance. The PDP’s top brass: President – Goodluck Jonathan, former president and BoT chairman – Olusegun Obasanjo, National Chairman – Bamanga Tukur, former and new BoT Chairman – Tony Anenih, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum – Rotimi Amaechi and a number of Governors have been engaged in a naked dance that amounts to exhibition of little more than raw and unbridled ambition.
At the root of the argument is not about which approach to adopt to tackle the enormous challenges confronting Nigeria. No one is talking about how to address the problem of our 20 million youth who have no jobs and are losing hope, or how to improve our collective security. None of the naked dancers is interested in seeking solutions to the problems of growing poverty, de-industrialization, deteriorating infrastructure, rising inequality, falling standards of education or decaying healthcare. None of the combatants in the PDP’s disagreements is concerned with tackling Nigeria’s mind-boggling corruption, impunity or even how to prepare for the day when our oil revenues will dry up. The one and only thing on the minds of these PDP apparatchiks is personal ambition, the pursuit of power and the senseless looting and primitive accumulation associated therewith.

In essence, what should be a public debate between and among the ruling party members to chart the path of progress for the country it has ruled since 1999 and has promised to govern for at least 60 years has been reduced to a voluble public fight about who gets what, where, how, and knowing the PDP for what it has become, how much! Eventually, because the fight is not predicated on any ideological or principled stand, whether by the instrument of the EFCC or the sheer need to remain on the corridors of power, all the gladiators will fall back in line at the right moment in order for the party to continue its nuclear war on the Nigerian people.
A year or two ago, it would have gotten away with it, too. Except that things are beginning to change, and a two-year marathon that would determine the future of Nigeria’s 170 million people is beginning to take shape and form: From mysterious campaign posters appearing overnight, PDP governors that have gone missing for months, trillions of stolen fuel subsidy and pension funds, unneeded and unsolicited 10 million cell phones for farmers, the first lady’s death and resurrection, endless political intrigues, revelations and long knives within the PDP – up to the emergence of a new opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the tone for the 2015 elections seem to be taking shape.
Now, the issue is: what does the current situation and evolving developments entail, and what are their possible implications for the 2015 general elections, if we ever get there? Does the current discord within the ruling party signal the beginning of the end of its existence? Will the formation of the APC which is the merger of the four major opposition parties – ACN, CPC, ANPP and parts of APGA, signify the emergence of a ‘new’ and better Nigeria for the over 125 million Nigerians below the age of 35? Will the new party, APC survive its teething challenges and emerge with a manifesto and truly representative yet formidable candidates that will sweep away majority votes at the poles?
As all parties gear up towards 2015, we need to ask: Is President Jonathan capable of participating in the election without deliberately dividing the country along ethnic and religious lines for his short-term political gain? Is INEC willing, able and capable of delivering free, fair and credible elections in 2015? Can we trust INEC not to be what the opposition perceives it to be – a mere tool and toothless subsidiary of the PDP? How do we as individuals and stakeholders contribute our quota to ensure that we do not remain pawns in the hands of selfish politicians? Can we see through the antics of the false prophets who promised fresh air and transformation, only to lead us to the path of division and destitution?
There is no gainsaying that the PDP is in turmoil and chaos at the moment. On the surface, it began in January with the call by PDP governors for the sack of the party chairman – Bamanga Tukur due to the latter’s interference in the Adamawa PDP politics. This was followed by the move against Obasanjo’s henchmen in the party which led to the sack of its National Auditor Chief Bode Mustapha and his replacement by Alhaji Fatai Adewole Adeyanju while National Vice Chairman, South West, Segun Oni and National Secretary Oyinlola, were somehow also removed.
Following the above, the PDP set up its own Governor’s Forum with Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom emerging as chairman in an attempt to polarize the already existing Nigeria Governor’s Forum which has the ‘stubborn’ Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state as chair. As stated, the whole saga is indicative of PDP’s desperation to hang on to power and not allow democracy take its course. It has been alleged that this new forum was set-up to trim down the influence of Amaechi who is seen as too independent and non-conformist for the current PDP leadership. Those who know the PDP well will tell you that the quarrels can easily be resolved as soon as some of the excess crude, the looted fuel subsidy and pension funds are released and redistributed – and the gravy train that is the PDP will begin to roll again. But that is another matter for another day.
For now, the newly formed APC seems to have a grasp of what they are doing. Just a week ago, the opposition governors in the APC made a bold statement by holding the party’s third meeting in Maiduguri – the capital and base of the Boko-Haram insurgency. They also donated N200m to victims of the crisis. So far, the current government has neither been able to curb the insurgency nor has it set up a relief fund for victims of the menace. It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan, once said he could not visit Maiduguri because the ‘airport was not in good shape’ and just about a month before was ‘too busy’ to visit and sent his deputy, Namadi Sambo. The APC governors have now shamed Jonathan to visit Maiduguri and recognize Borno as one of the 36 states of Nigeria!
The emergence of the APC, apparent crumbling of the ruling PDP alongside the deregistering of political parties by INEC appears to be gradually paving way for a pan-Nigerian opposition platform capable of ending the PDP’s hegemony. Although the two-party system may have its disadvantages, it would be advantageous for Nigeria by providing a sturdy check and balance as well as choice for Nigerians. It will also reduce the clutter and confusion created by numerous existing ‘briefcase’ parties which possess no clout. In fact, some political economists believe that the two parry system leads to political stability and in turn, economic growth.
In spite of the positive direction we are headed with the merger of the major opposition parties, the APC on its part has its work cut out for it to stand as a stronghold in the 2015 elections. It has to ensure that we do not eventually become another failed merger bereft of individuals who truly have the interest of the nation at heart. Individual ambitions have so far been shelved in favor of truly democratic ideals, and this is encouraging. As APC, we must reach out to the populace at the grassroots and earn their confidence rather than appease the ‘godfathers’ to ensure political advantage. It is gratifying that the inter-party merger teams led by Chief Tom Ikimi have focused on these true democratic principles in shaping the APC’s birth.
As everything is being set in place for the elections in 2015, the only way more bloodshed would be averted is by ensuring free and fair elections. This is the only way to save our nation and its democracy. Looting in advance of 2015 to buy up votes, militarization and deployment of coercive instruments will not work but only lead to open confrontation and violence. The electorate must be encouraged to vote by providing a safe and serene atmosphere devoid of any intimidation for voting to take place. If neighboring Ghana has been able to conduct several successive peaceful, free and fair elections, then we have no reason not to better that record, given our vast human and material resources.
It is time for our elites to rise to the challenge and actively engage in the political activities, and encourage the involvement of all citizens in the electoral process, knowing that sovereignty lies with them. It is time for our professionals and Diaspora to move from being armchair or online critics to work towards informing the broader electorate that it is only when we elect people with proven track records of excellence, hard work and integrity that we can truly move forward as a nation. Nigerians must understand that voting on the basis of tribe or religion has never, and will not lead to the emergence of the Nigeria of our dreams. Those that voted for Jonathan for these reasons can see the unintended consequences of their decision.
As we watch the PDP’s naked dancers strut their raw ambitions in public, Nigerians need to appreciate the power of their vote and do all they can to guard it jealously. Knowing that the PDP will do everything under the sun to remain in power at all costs despite growing deteriorating infrastructure, insecurity, poverty and unemployment in Nigeria, it is clear that we must all play active roles in what may be a tough two-year marathon towards 2015. Eventually, it is the power of our vote – how wisely we use it – and the deterrent structures to ensure PDP and its partners do not write and declare fictitious election results, that will free us from the current regime of corruption, impunity and incompetence.

My Ex-Wife Was Foolish- Actress, Foluke Daramola’s Husband


foluke_n_hubby
Actress, Foluke Daramola’s husband Kayode Salako who ended his marriage with his ex-wife due to irreconcilably differences open up on his reason for his failed marriage.
In an interview recently, Kayode revealed that his ex-wife, Bukola leaving the house for another woman to move in is an act of foolishness.
‘My wife that left was just being foolish and I will continue to tell the whole world that my former wife did not leave me because of Foluke Daramola because the question anybody should ask her is did I bring Foluke Daramola to her house? did she catch me on Foluke Daramola? did she catch us kissing and romancing? did I impregnate her? did I marry her before she left the house.
Why should an established married woman pack her things and leave the house for a girlfriend to come and live if that woman is not foolish.
I never planned to marry Foluke Daramola, we were just friends, we just discovered that we appreciated our companionship, anytime the two of us were around each other, we always enjoyed it, so we became very good friends.
I am the one that told my ex-wife, Bukola at home about my friendship with Foluke Daramola, she did not know anything about her.
I was the one that told her that I just met an actress, who had agreed to be my friend and work with me on my project; Change Agent of Nigeria Network (CANN)”, he said.
InformationNigeria

Chantal Banks, Woman Who Loves Rats More Than People, Says They Smell 'Like Nachos'

The Huffington Post 

Woman Loves Rats
Chantal really, really loves rats.
Chantal Banks is a grown woman with a family, and like many families, hers keeps pets.
Except, in her case, the pets are rats, there are 19 of them and she appears to like them an awful lot.
The April 3 episode of The Learning Channel's "My Crazy Obsession" will explore Banks' eccentric life, from the two-bedroom apartment she now shares with her rats, to her son's bizarre assertion that the rats are his brothers and sisters, to the furtive grumbling of her estranged husband, who quite frankly is just sick and tired of taking care of rats.
And just in case you're thinking the network that brought you "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" has fallen short of its namesake, behold! According to Banks, her rats smell like nachos.
But that cheesy, spicy smell isn't the only comfort Banks' rodent friends provide her.
"My rats don't judge me. They love me for who I am. When I cry, they lick my tears," Banks told TLC.
Is this all that weird compared to cat hoarders? Probably not. At least this woman's rat infestation is desired and under control. It could be a lot worse; it could be Iran.

Buhari to Jonathan: Reduce Poverty, Restructure INEC


Muhammadu-Buhari-0509.jpg - Muhammadu-Buhari-0509.jpg

By Agha Ibiam in London
Former military head of state and co-founder of the recently formed mega opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately address the issue of poverty ravaging many Nigerians, saying that poverty is not their ‘birthrights’.

To actualise that, he recommended that government should revive both the manufacturing and agricultural sectors to generate business and employment, thus provide opportunities for more than 100 million Nigerians.
His point he said was buttressed by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, which revealed that a lot of people were living in poverty below $2 per day.

Buhari, who spoke from far away London where he delivered a keynote address at the British Houses of Parliament, Gladstone Conference Room, titled, “Stable Democracy and Nigeria’s Economy,” also said that government should as a matter of urgency reconstitute the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable it conduct free and fair election in the coming years and avoid electoral fraud.

Turning to the judiciary, he opined that for it to be effective, it must seem to deliver judgement with impartiality and as at when due. He accused the judiciary as allegedly being one of the institutions slowing down the pace of democratic progress in the country.

Buhari, accompanied by former Minster of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, noted that in 2011, the South-South and South-East states votes were recorded by INEC at between 85 – 95 per cent, when the media reported that there were poor attendances at polling booths.

The former head of state went further to state that in many areas in the South-South and South–East, votes cast and counted exceeded registered figures and wondered why such a thing should happen under the watchful eyes of INEC.

Democracy according to him could best thrive when there is a considerable number and level of educational accomplishment or literacy exists in the country.  His argument was based on the fact that huge number of voters must be in a position to read and write and be able to determine which candidate to vote for during elections.

“Obviously when one does not know where to vote, it would be difficult to arrive at a free choice and would even be more difficult to hold elected office holders accountable when they under-perform,” he said.
Thisday

APC: More trouble brews over Ikimi’s role in logo imposition

APC: More trouble brews over Ikimi’s role in logo imposition

•Tinubu, Buhari to meet again over differences

All is not well with the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC), as three of the merging parties have kicked against the imposition role played by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain, Chief Tom Ikimi in the choice of the new party’s logo.
The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) has therefore directed its members in the merger committee to meet early next week to review the development with the hindsight of assuring it that the party’s interests are well respected.
This is also as two foremost leaders of the new party, General Mohammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu may meet in Kano in the next few days to address the grey areas in the merger arrangement, particularly the need to end the intra party crisis in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) before the special party convention scheduled to hold next month.
Tinubu has been mediating between the Hanga Rufai- led and Tony Momohled factions of the CPC and has almost achieved a truce before last week Appeal Court judgment that gifted victory to the Momoh faction resulting in the expulsion of Senator Hanga and some of his allies from the party. This action has once more stoked the crisis in the CPC and has tended to derail the peace process already initiated by Tinubu.
Meanwhile, at the last meeting of the enlarged merger committee, which include all the opposition governors, two ANPP governors of Borno and Yobe were absent and no reason was given for their absence. Saturday Mirror also gathered that the National Chairman of the ANPP, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu including some members of his National Working Committee have tactically distanced themselves from most of the meetings where the merger issues are discussed.
Chief Ikimi, an Edo State-born ACN chieftain is the chairman of the merger committee and he has the singular honour of donating his Maitama, Abuja residence for most of the meetings of the committee in which he also presides. An ANPP source who was also at the Tuesday meeting where the logo was unveiled said that Ikimi favoured the ACN in the deliberations that resulted in the choice of the ‘broom’ in the logo.
The committee also favoured the choice the CPC slogan of ‘change’ while the ANPP was left to contend with just a mere colour of its flag. According to the source, “in spite of the fact that the ANPP commands more grassroots presence and controls larger number of states in the North, yet the party was treated with ignominy. The outcome of the meeting was orchestrated and the script was written before hand only to be read that night.
“My party has however resolved to be part of the merger but we will not stand and watch other party subsume us into their planned agenda. We are aware that one of the parties resisted our joining the merger but should we be treated unequally in the merger, we may chose to opt out.
The agenda behind the merger is to end the misrule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but we are yet to achieve that and inequality has already begun creeping in. It is quite unfortunate.”
However, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is also a member of the merger committee, told Saturday Mirror that the new party’s logo, slogan and motto was unanimously adopted after the meeting of the larger committee and the opposition alliance governors which ended late on Tuesday.
On the imposition of the party’s logo, slogan and motto on the merger committee by the governors, Mohammed noted that the committee has been working in harmony with the alliance governors, noting that no member of the committee objected to the logo, slogan or motto of the new party when it was presented for adoption at the meeting.
He said: “Only the merger committee has the final authority on any issue about the proposed merger, the governors explained that all the decisions the governors arrived at in their own meeting was presented to the larger committee for approval and we all deliberated on them and arrived at a consensus on the ground that there must be give and take by all the intending merger political parties.
Saturday Mirror also learnt that some members of the CPC were not in support of the slogan, ‘Justice, Unity and Peace’ and had lobbied for it to be changed.
NationalMirror

How Widows, Children, Suffer Hardship In The Name Of Tradition


Inspite of the touch of civilization in the lives of many villagers, tradition and customs still remain intact. 
While some remain passionate about it, some show a lot of disregard to it just as others especially the human rights activists consider some aspects of it as infringement on the rights of individuals.  But what is the gain of any tradition or custom which is inimical to the life of individual?
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* Expectation is high among a wide section of Nigerians especially women and children that the Senate will come up with a comprehensive new National Health Bill, NHB, that would realistically address basic primary health challenges in the country.
* Expectation is high among a wide section of Nigerians especially women and children that the Senate will come up with a comprehensive new National Health Bill, NHB, that would realistically address basic primary health challenges in the country.
For families who lost their loved ones, life could be miserable. They are exposed to a world of pain, anguish, frustration and untold hardship everyday of their lives.
The trauma they suffer as a result of the death of any of their parents is such that linger forever in their lives.
They also suffer neglects, groan and mourn all the days of their lives while nobody dares to listen to their plights.
They are denied their fundamental human rights, hence leaving them in the face of continuous frustration and misery all through their lives.
In one area of  Edo State, Eunice, a 36-year lady who narrated a similar experience told Saturday Vanguard,  her mother suffered torture in the hands of her late husband’s relations.
Her words: “When my father died, my mother was treated as an outcast. Her husband’s relation said, she knew something about her husband’s death, they called her a witch and for this reason they  humiliated and tortured her for three months. “She was not allowed to have her bath nor wash her hands after eating. She wasn’t allowed to change her clothes or underwear either. It was a terrible situation, in fact, my mother regretted that she  was married to my father.
“One of her late husband’s brother told her to sit and sleep on the bare floor during her period of confinement.
There was a particular story a friend of mine told me what a widow who was asked to go into the thick forest at night and recite some incantations for the purpose of “cleansing”, he continued.
“Some widows are also made to drink the water used to bathe the corpses of their deceased husbands; they are shaved and kept in seclusion for months while consultations are on as to the real cause of death of the man. “The widow is not expected to receive condolence visits from sympathisers during the period of mourning, she is to be re-married by a relative of the late husband, she is to sit on the floor or be unclad during any period of the husband’s burial rite, weep and wail loudly at intervals, she must remain in confinement after the death of the husband for the given period dictated by tradition. In most cases, she must vacate the matrimonial home for the relatives of the man”, she added.
A friend of mine who also narrated her experience explained that, “The ugly situation of my life began when my husband died. He was an Igbo by tribe. His family members took away all his assets, without a slightest imagination of what I could be passing through with my four children.
“My children are still young and therefore they cannot fight for their late father’s properties. I was subjected to countless hardship. I was kept in the dark rooms for days with little or nothing to eat. I was made to sleep in the same room with my dead husband and the water used in bathing the dead man was given to me to drink.
“Any attempt to contest was met with stiff resistance. I believe my story is just one case out of the numerous cases of what widows go through after they had lost their loved ones”, she said.
In some societies, tradition prescribes harsh injunctions for widows, they are denied the use of ornaments, perfumes, flowers, fine clothing, no making of hair, in most cases, widows are shaved as a mark of respect for their departed husbands and they are denied all other beautiful things women cherish.
In fact, the phenomenon can simply be described as that of loss, deprivation, helplessness and hopelessness. The death of a loved one brings trauma, grief and a total restructuring of one’s life.
Speaking on why woman pass through this trouble, Human Right Activist, Josephine Okei-Odumakin, said. “Well, it is most unfortunate that at this stage and age women are still being humiliated by in-laws and relations of their late husbands based on the culture and religious beliefs and practices. This is an ugly situation and the outcome of our traditional and native beliefs before the advent of Christianity but sadly these practices still exist in some quarters.
“When a woman loses her husband, a civilized society should rally round to support her and her children.
Causing her more pain than she’s already going through at the death of the breadwinner is just plain evil.”
In certain parts of Nigeria, the maltreatment of women who lost their husbands is common. In-laws , the deceased relations and the community subject them to physical and emotional abuses such as being made to sit on the floor; being confined from a month to one year; having their hair literally scraped off with razors or broken bottles; not being allowed to bathe; being made to routinely weep in public; being forced to drink the water used to wash their husband’s corpse; crowned by the loss of inheritance rights and eviction.
I feel strongly that this humiliation must stop, it is now time that drastic measures are taken to stop  this barbaric act  so as to ensure its eradication.
For, Professor Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Her reaction:
Ordinarily my organization handle hundreds of cases every year that we give free legal aid in this area, especially on denial of inheritance and property rights to widows and their girl-children by in -laws and extended family members. WACOL mediates and represent victims in Court, including following up the matter with the Police.
On general violence against women by in-laws, including wife battering we provide various services such as shelter, counselling, medical support and pursuing legal action against the in laws as a last resort if we fail to get them to sign an undertaken not to repeat the abuse, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. The situation of interference by in laws is rampant where the woman is widowed, childless or has only female children and they want their son to take a second wife or sack the wife and/or also deny her right to the estate of the deceased husband. . I have handled personally as a lawyer a lot of those cases and usually our interventions are big relief for affected women and brings succor to them.
We need to create awareness that will promote respect for women’s rights, especially right to private and family life. There is so much interference by extended family members causing marriages to breakdown irretrievably. Intermeddling in nuclear family affair is still highly prevalent because of our cultural and traditional values. Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL) has produced relevant legal literacy handbooks for example: Next of Kin Palaver; Rights and Wrongs of Widowhood; Will Making to enlighten the general public. I believe as the society develops the incidents will be reduced but for now there is so much hunger in the land and people want to grab and reap where they didn’t sow.
In Delta State
In Idjerhe of Ethiope West local government area of Delta, a young lady, Ejiro who narrated the ordeal she passed through recently said the sudden death of her father exposed her to different kinds of sufferings in the name of tradition before and after the burial of her late father.
In my place; the death of a parent is not seen a natural phenominon; it is blamed on something he or she must have done in his or her earthly life. It is said that the ancestors’ strike at any wrong done by a son or daughter of the soil, hence the family would consult their oracle to know what had happened. In most cases, whatever he lived for in his life time would be overruled by his immediate family if he didn’t prepare a will before his demise.; his wish would be disregarded as though he never lived. They say tradition is tradition.
The children of the deceased are fined for errors committed by their parents; perhaps in the aspects of community development levies he or she didn’t pay and for not visiting the village as they should have done and much more. In fact, the children are beaten up as though they killed their parents in the first place. When I lost my father; my elder brother was asked to travel home to inform his family about his demise, the first thing the family members did was to practically beat him up and fined him for coming alone; he ought to have visited with an elderly person he learnt later.  He was advised to visit again with his siblings and their mother.
“So my siblings, my mum and I traveled to the village and the next question we heard from his family members was that they wanted the deeds to my late father’s properties; they wanted his cheque book and any other vital thing he possessed.  We traveled the next time without all they wanted and we were beaten up; we had to defend ourselves! After the fight; we were asked to pay another huge fine or walk away and perhaps risk waking up with snakes they threatened.”
“At last, we got the family everything they asked for; they claim they are doing this because my late dad has three gates- meaning he has three women who had children for him. The properties were disposed of. A land was bought in the village town and a house built for the final resting place of the departed. I found out eventually that virtually every Urhobo man or woman belongs to one social club or the other.  The aims and objectives of such clubs are mainly to assist its members during burials, but my own dad didn’t join any club because he was a member of a church.” “The clubs have extended their tentacles to the churches, but dad didn’t see the reason of mixing worshiping God and social club, he had just his service to God as his club he usually told us.
During burials, the groups from the churches are placed side by side with the groups from the church and it went in dad’s burial. We were asked the kind of burial we wanted to do; the first son was compulsory asked to get a casket for the deceased as the culture demands, the first daughter played her part by fanning the dead lying in state. The in laws paid for the grave digging. After the burial, my late dad’s properties were divided by the family.”
Mary, 28 also narrated her ordeal in the hands of those who believe every bit of the custom and tradition must apply to every situation after burying her late mum in Edo state. “In Aginiboni, a married woman who dies would remain in her husband’s place. Her corpse cannot be returned to her father’s house especially if her bride price was paid, hence her remains would be buried in her husband’s place. But if the husband wasn’t always going home; a land would be bought and built before the burial can commence.”
“Tradition mandates her to leave every personal property to her first son; no matter where he is and what contribution he had contributed to the success of the burial.”
In Igboland
Johnson Okorie from a community in Owerri, of Imo state has this to say. ‘I lost my father when l was in my twenty’s and my late dad’s immediate family didn’t have to seize anything from my mother because we had guys in the house although l was the last child; the case would be different if my mum didn’t have any child or if we were very young.  My mum didn’t step out of the house until my father was lowered into mother Earth; which was three months later. Her hair was clean shaved by the women who visited and took turns in sleeping with her; the significance of the shaven hair shows the beginning of another episode in her life after the burial of the late husband.
Like they say different strokes for different people, burial rites are different from one community to another in the Eastern part of the country, they are often similar but with little variations.
When an Igbo man or woman with children dies, before any burial arrangement is made, his children or close relatives will have to visit several essential extended families to officially announce the death of their son or daughter, these visits to the maternal and paternal homes of the deceased requires a goat, a certain amount of money, and drinks.
Apart from the normal funeral ceremony celebrations, it is expected that when a man loses any of his parents, maybe his mother or father, he is expected to perform a burial rite called “omere oha”, which means celebrating for all.
This burial rite involves buying live a male dog, a ram, he-goat, and cock, each of the animals is beheaded by a male child of the deceased or any close family relative who must be a male.
Unlike in a general funeral ceremony, this particular funeral rite allows for a few number of persons, which include immediate and extended family members of the deceased as well as kinsmen. Preparation of traditional foods, Palm wine, dry gin, Kola nuts, and local music are made available by the host family.
Some parts of the beheaded dog, he-goat, ram and cock are properly cleaned up and prepared into local delicacies while the other parts are shared among each family represented. This ceremony is a must for every legitimate son and daughter who partook in the celebration of others. The only exemptions are those who have refused to partake in the celebration of others.
It is alleged that children who refuse to perform this rite for their late parents who partook in others, cannot eat at any funeral ceremony.
By Ebun  Sessou  & Florence Amagiya
InformationNigeria