Akwa Ibom governor buries his father in customised grave that has 24 hour power supply

AKWA Ibom's Governor Udom Emmanuel has buried his father in a elaborate ceremony that involved the extravagant casket lowered into a bespoke grave which will have 24 electricity supply throughout the year.

Over the weekend, the governor laid his father, Mr Gabriel Nkanang to rest Awa in Onna Local Government Area, in a grand ceremony that attracted the who-is-who in Nigeria. However, given the elaborate scale of the ceremony, several Akwa Ibom citizens said the governor ought to have organised a modest burial while the remaining funds should have been used in empowering the poor.

Pa Nkanang, a retired teacher, was laid to rest in a grave with beautiful blue tiles, measuring about 4 metres in length and 1.5 metres in width. Its upper four walls have single-pointed light each, giving it 24 hours illumination and it has a customised top which could be easily removed when needed.

Another aspect of the burial that caught the attention of the guests was the unique entrance of the corpse. On the day, the body of Governor Udom’s father was conveyed to the burial ground in a luxurious Cadillac Escalade ambulance which could cost over N1m in rent, that was heavily protected by securities while over 20 other vehicles followed it.

Among the guests who attended the ceremony were Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Ahmad Lawan, Senator Bukola Saraki and Central Bank of Nigeria governor Godwin Emefiele.  Others were Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the vice chairman of Exxon Mobil Nigeria Udom Inoyo and the three senators from Akwa Ibom State.