The Anambra State Government has introduced a sweeping new law regulating burial and funeral ceremonies across the state, banning midweek burials, extravagant condolence gifts, and several long-standing funeral practices considered burdensome to families.
The legislation, recently passed by the Anambra State House of Assembly, is aimed at curbing excessive spending during funerals, improving productivity, and reducing social pressure on bereaved families.
Under the new law, all burial ceremonies in the state are now restricted to Saturdays, while burials between Monday and Friday have been prohibited. Funeral activities must also be concluded within a single day.
The law further abolishes wake-keep ceremonies and places limits on items that may be presented during condolence visits.
According to the provisions, mourners are prohibited from presenting expensive gifts such as cows, goats, bags of rice, and other costly items to bereaved families.
The law states that acceptable condolence gifts shall not exceed money, one jar of palm wine, one carton of beer, and one crate of soft drinks.
Government officials said the reforms are intended to reduce the financial and emotional pressure often associated with elaborate burial ceremonies in the state.
The legislation also provides that vigil masses, services of songs, and related religious activities must end by 9 p.m., while the serving of food, drinks, live bands, and cultural entertainment at such events has been prohibited.
In another major provision, the state banned the erection of billboards, banners, and posters of deceased persons in public spaces. Only directional signs to burial venues will be permitted, and such signs cannot be displayed earlier than seven days before the burial date.
The law equally prohibits dancing with caskets and public display of coffins for advertisement or commercial purposes.
To further discourage excessive funeral practices, the government restricted the number of undertakers during funeral activities to six persons and directed that corpses should not remain in mortuaries for more than two months from the date of death.
Any corpse left beyond the stipulated period may be classified as a “rejected corpse” and buried in designated government burial grounds to be established in communities across the state.
The legislation also bans second burial rites except in cases involving family inheritance or legacy matters.
In addition, the use of uniform funeral attire popularly known as “aso ebi” has been limited to immediate family members, church groups, umunna, umuada, and iyom di, where applicable.
The law further discourages ostentatious funeral celebrations by making the provision of food and drinks optional for guests and banning the distribution of souvenirs during burials.
Authorities also outlawed certain traditional youth practices considered disruptive, including destruction of crops and property, unauthorised use of firearms during funerals, and public display of photographs of deceased persons in some circumstances.
To ensure compliance, the state government announced plans to establish monitoring and implementation committees in different communities. The committees will oversee registration of deaths, approval of burial arrangements, and enforcement of the new regulations.
Offenders risk a fine of ₦100,000, six months imprisonment, or both, depending on the nature of the violation.
The government said the measures are part of broader efforts to restore order to burial ceremonies, reduce financial hardship on families, and prevent funeral activities from disrupting economic and social life in the state.
In this article