The burial of the former President of the Senate was delayed due to a lack of funds The body of the late Senator Joseph Wayas, President ...
The burial of the former President of the Senate was delayed due to a lack of funds
The body of the late Senator Joseph Wayas, President of the Senate of Nigeria in the second republic, was lost in a hospital in London.
Wayas, as reported by our correspondent, died in December 2021, in a hospital in London as a result of long-term treatment that he suffered from.
Senator Wayas who led the Senate of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983, his family linked poverty to his ill health which he refused to eat.
His relatives told the source of Focus News Hausa, Aminiya, that the financial aid that was coming to them was cut off, which made them unable to bring his body back home to Nigeria so that it could be buried.
Since December last year, Governor Ben Ayade of Kuros Riba State, where the deceased came from, launched a committee to look into the funeral of the former President of the Senate.
This was following the instructions given by the state government to the then Health Commissioner, Dr. Betta Edu, who was in charge of the health affairs of the deceased in London.
According to reports, the state government has released some funds to the funeral committee led by the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi.
However, 14 months after his death, investigation revealed that the body of the former President of the Senate was abandoned due to financial disputes.
In the same way, research shows that it was the dispute over the funeral fees that made some senior members of the committee resign.
One of the senior members of the committee who is the former Secretary General of the National Planning Commission, Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo, confirmed that since then he left the committee but did not explain his reasons.
He also confirmed that the governor provided funds for the burial, but said that the eldest son of the deceased, Mr. Joseph Wayas Jr., is more qualified to explain why his father's body has not been buried until now.
"It is impossible to say that he has no explanation to give as to why the funeral was delayed.
"He is the firstborn. He should be in charge of…”, Ugbo told our reporter in amazement.
In the interview of Mr. Wayas Jr. and Aminiya, he explained that the funeral committee is responsible for conducting the funeral, therefore he has nothing to say about it.
He praised Governor Ayade for the support he gave to the committee, but expressed disappointment that it took 14 months but it was not possible to bury his father's body.
"The funeral is not in our hands, but in the hands of the committee appointed by Governor Ayade.
"I heard that there are issues related to the money spent for funerals. And some members are said to have resigned.
“I cannot go back to the governor now because of the election issue. Because he has already made his own efforts."
In a previous interview, Mr. Wayas Jr. regretted the delay in holding his father's funeral, but requested that the body be honored soon.
Wayas Jr. thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, who sponsored his father's trip to London when he began his illness.
He said his father received the best medical care, but his contribution ran out within three months.
According to him, before the death of their father, his sister in London continued to take care of his treatment, and she continued to take care of the body since 2021.
Commenting, the Chief Secretary in the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Iwara Iwara, said, "As is known, the governor of the state has launched a committee. But since that time I haven't heard anything about it.
"So now I can't give the reasons why the funeral was delayed."
The chief adviser to the governor on media affairs, Barista Christian Ita, said, "I don't want to get involved in the matter.
"Maybe the eldest son of the deceased is the problem. But the members of the funeral committee should be consulted because in fact the governor has released the funeral money a long time ago."
Aminiya also asked to speak to the state's Information Commissioner, Eric Anderson, but he did not respond to calls and messages sent to him.
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