Yesterday, a thread on the reason "dead bodies are buried six feet under the ground" graced the frontpage, but today I would like Nigerians to embrace a new culture of disposing of the dead -- Cremation.

Cremation is a process in which intense heat is used to reduce the dead body to ashes and bone fragments. When cremating, most of the body, such as tissue, is vaporized, leaving only the remains of bone. The remaining bone particles are commonly referred to as cremains or ashes.

The body is exposed to a column of flames produced by a furnace fueled by natural gas, oils, propane, etc

Cremation of a dead body is carried out at a temperature ranging between 1400 to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.

The process takes place in a cremation chamber, also known as a retort, of a crematory. The chamber is preheated at a set point and then body is placed is quickly transferred there through a mechanized door to avoid heat loss. Ashes can be safely put in an urn or cremains container.

Advantages of Cremation

Affordability : Cremating the dead is more affordable compared to burial. Here, moderation is key without all efforts to go overboard with funeral process. You can see people spending huge amount of money on buying caskets, building monasteries, hiring of pallbearers, Owanbe glamour, etc

Saves time: Cremation can save time and energy in arranging for disposing of the dead body. Its preparations are fastly done as long as the materials needed are readily available. It is faster than traditional burials. Some burial ceremony may take more than two days.

Saves space : Cremation allows for creation of space in houses and cementaries. Several hectares of land used specifically for burying the dead are almost filled up, and there are many more to be used. Also at homes, cremation can help save space. You can easily count 4 out of 10 houses having graves in front of their houses. This act disgusts prospective tenants. Like who wants to rent a house where graves are all littered around? And if you're thinking of japaing abroad, you can do that without digging up your parents graves in order to sell your house. You have nothing to worry about, just carry your beloved urn with you.

Ensures Security: Engaging in cremation proffers safety. We live in a society where scu mbags dig up graves for no good reason. Nobody would know where the ashes of your departed loved one is let alone attempt to steal it.

Major factors preventing the adoption of this burial culture are traditional and religious factors. Traditionally, one may be required to visit the burial grounds of one's parents to seek appeasement, or beautify with flowers, etc.

For me, religion is the major contributing factor preventing the possibility of cremation in Nigeria, where the Islamic religion strongly opposes it while there are reservations about it in the Christian religion. The Bible doesn't outrightly condemn it, but it is believed that it negates the faith in physical resurrection of the body. For me, God is omnipotent to resurrect the cremated ones.

What do you guys think?

This would've been a good idea... but Africans wants to bury people in the house and be scaring themselves also about ghost of a person buried in that house.....


Those useless old men in the village jumping from one native doctor to another will never allow this to happen....

I remember while I was a child some Indian people came to lay to rest their person at a nearby cemetery... The person was to be openly burnt down... And the entire community came out to watch and wasn't happy about it.... that the indians where stupid to ha e burnt someone instead of burying the person ..