THE Anambra Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Mr. Don Onyenji has called on Ndi Anambra to adhere to the state burial law enacted by the State House of Assembly in 2019, to check the excessive and foreign practices infused into the funeral rites.

The commissioner made this call in an interactive session with journalists in his office at Jerome Udoji Secretariat, Awka.

He observed that some people went as far as borrowing money or sell their lands to meet up with the requirements imposed on them during the burial of their loved ones, noting that strict adherence to the law will put a stop to such things.

“This burial law we are talking about is a welcome development in our state in the sense that it will help in reducing the high cost of organising funerals and address some foreign practices attached to our burial ceremony such as; dancing around with the coffin by the undertakers, printing of brochures, keeping the corpse in the mortuary for a long time and reducing the funeral days to only a day.

“It is worthy to note that our Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, observed and maintained the burial law during the burial of his beloved father and as such, we should do likewise,” he said.

He, then, called on those who intend to block major roads for burials to source for a school or church compound to hold their event but if they must use the road, they should obtain permission from the local government.

“Before giving permission to block any road for burial, the local government officials should ensure that there are alternative routes for motorists to ply for free flow of vehicular movement.

“Let us support our Governor in making our state a livable, prosperous and mega smart city where people will come and do business, relax and enjoy,” he said.