73-year-old Gwange cemetery is overwhelmed, says Shehu of Borno
Njadvara Musa
The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, has decried the overstretch of the 73-year-old Gwange cemetery in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) of the state.
According to him, out of the 13 districts in the Emirate Council of MMC and Jere Council, Khaddamari and Galtimari districts have 36 and 26 cemeteries, respectively.
The monarch raised the alarm yesterday (Thursday) in Maiduguri at a news conference on the overstretched Gwange cemetery, which serves a population of over 1.5 million residents.
He lamented that the Gwange, Yerwa, and Jabbamari districts in the metropolis and Jere council have no cemetery for the people to bury the bodies of their loved ones.
“The Dusuman, old Maiduguri, Maisandari, and Bolori districts each have 19, 16, 14, and six cemeteries, respectively,” said El-Kanemi.
The monarch noted that Yerwa and Maimusari, however, do not have functional cemeteries with a supply of water and perimeter fencing.
“As I speak to you, gentlemen of the press, Jabbamari and Gwange districts lack befitting and secured cemeteries,” he said.
Besides, he added, “There is only one cemetery in the Shehuri North District in Maiduguri metropolis,” noting that Galtamari district in Jere council has about 20 cemeteries.
El-Kanemi continued, “While Dala district in Jere council, located 15 kilometres west of the overstretched Gwange cemetery along Bama Road, has seven cemeteries.
He, therefore, called on Governor Babagana Zulum to urgently intervene on the continuous overstretch of the Gwange cemetery.
He warned that the 73-year-old cemetery cannot accommodate more bodies for burials, as residents in the metropolis and Jere council prefer to bury the bodies of their loved ones at the Gwange graveyard.
The monarch noted that this was despite Jere having 104 cemeteries, while MMC has 22.
