uwakwe abugu
Bureau Chief, Benin.

However, during the re-burial, her body would not be exhumed but a measurement of her grave would be taken with a stick and that stick reburied in Iruekpen.

And to assuage the grouse of Stella’s homestead, President Olusegun Obasanjo at the burial assured the Esan people that at the appropriate time, whatever fine imposed for defying their custom would be paid.

According to Obasanjo, he was aware of their complaints that their daughter was sleeping “permanently in Abeokuta” but that “ at the appropriate time, whatever fine that may be imposed, will be paid.

This has finally put paid to speculations on the matter.Esan Youth Movement had in a paid advert during the week, protested the internment of Stella outside her ancestral home..

Insisting that the custom of the Esan people must be respected, the traditional ruler of Abia, Iruekpen where Stella’s parents hail from, the Onogie of Ogwa, Esan West Council Area, H.R.H Zaiki J. Ehizogie, said the son of the late First Lady, Muyiwa, is expected to lead the ceremony.

The traditional ruler explained, “After the so-called burial, yes, I call that so-called burial in Ogun state, the final resting place has to be in Abia, Iruekpen.”

The monarch said that Stella was buried in Abeokuta in line with her will and that is why they acceded to it. According to him, apart from the question of the couple deciding their final resting place when they die, the arrangement was accepted because “it is a family arrangement, it is a formal respect for the President and then, for Pa Abebe.

“We accept that they can choose their burial site but we also reserve the traditional right to our daughter’s final resting place. So, we expect that the final arrangement would be complied with shortly so that our custom will not be too grossly abused or neglected”, he maintained.

“But we don’t need to exhume the corpse. All we need to do is to take the measurement of the grave where she was buried using a stick. Then, that stick will be formally re-buried in Abia, Iruekpen here. All the other procedures will be followed by her people, particularly her first son. That is the custom here”, he insisted.

Asked when that will be done, he explained that “the consultation will be held with our people here and the time for that final burial will be fixed but that will be after the Abeokuta burial.

He contended that there had been much pressure from the Esan people especially those living outside Edo State, who questioned the decision of the Abebe family and the elders in accepting that Stella be buried in Abeokuta.

The deceased’s father, Dr. Christopher Abebe, was away to Abuja when our reporter visited his Abia, Iruekpen country home during the week to get his comments on the matter.

But his immediate younger brother, Thomas Abebe, toed the line of the monarch.

According to him, the issue of where the late Mrs. Obasanjo would be buried had raised much dust amongst the Esan people within and outside Iruekpen immediately the burial programme was announced.

He said he personally went to Abuja to confer with his elder brother over the issue of the burial site since there were protests from their people.

Abebe explained, in passable English, that his brother told him that he had agreed to the arrangement of the burial taking place in Abeokuta because Obasanjo revealed that he and his spouse had agreed to be buried in the same place.

“Obasanjo said that he would send people to us to explain the agreement they had reached regarding their burial place. It is our old custom to bury our daughters when they die. But when they write a will they reverse it,”he stated.