Clement Jimbo, a House of Representatives member representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, has announced that he will no longer provide financial assistance to constituents seeking help to organize burial ceremonies.
The Lawmaker shared his decision through a post on his Facebook page.
Jimbo stated, “All financial solicitation for burial is hereby suspended till further notice. Please bear with me.” He revealed that the decision was made to avoid being overwhelmed by the numerous requests for financial assistance for burial purposes from his constituents.
“It is unhealthy and it should be discouraged at every level,” he said of the financial solicitations.
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The lawmaker suggested that people ought not to spend a lot of money to organise burial ceremonies for their loved ones, citing the case of Jesus Christ, whom he said died and was buried “without his disciples asking for financial support”.
He said resources, instead of being “wasted” on burials, should be channelled into developmental projects.
“If God has blessed you with the resources to do what you want, go ahead, but not when you do not have (the resources). We should learn to cut our cloth according to the piece of cloth we have.”
Mr Jimbo said he could support events such as wedding and naming ceremonies, which are “joyful and add value”, if the finances are available.
“But for burial, I don’t know about others, that is no longer a priority on my scale of preference,” he stated.
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Akwa Ibom State has the highest number of people in south-south Nigeria living in multidimensional poverty, according to the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index Report of the National Bureau of Statistics.
But residents of the state, like other states in Southern Nigeria, often desire to organise flamboyant burial ceremonies for departed relatives or friends.