PUNCH NEWS
Adewumi Adejumo, the eldest child of a couple, Pa Moses Adejumo and Madam Cecelia Adejumo, who died a few days apart and were buried on the same day in Okemesi Ekiti, tells ABIODUN NEJO the circumstances surrounding their death
How old were your parents?
I am Adewumi Adejumo. I am about 43 years old. I am an equipment mechanical engineer. I work in Lagos. I am their eldest child. There are only three of their children left. My mother, Madam Cecilia Adejumo, was 66 years old and my dad, Pa Moses Adejumo, died at the age of 74.
When did they pass away?
My mother died on August 1, 2023, and my father died on August 11, 2023. God knows better why they died around the same time. My father was sick for three to four years. I think it was my dad’s sickness that later affected my mum. It got to a stage where both of them were down with sickness and eventually, it took my mum’s life before my dad died some days later.
What was the nature of the sickness?
It was a type of sickness related to old age.
Why did you decide to bury them on the same day?
In my reasoning, I thought it was the love from an early stage that my parents had. I think if my dad had died before my mum, she might not have died. But since my mum died before him, he might have felt that he had lost the person who was taking care of him. That is my understanding. So, we thought it wise to bury them on the same day. Initially, after my mum’s death, I fixed her burial date, but when my dad died before the date, I just felt it was better to bury them at the same time. The implication was that they made it easier for me since I only had to spend once what I would have spent twice.
Was it easy for you to convince your extended family members to agree to the same burial date?
Members of the two families had always supported me. We were together on all issues and held meetings together. When my parents were ill, the two families were with me always; they were part of everything all along.
Where was your mum from?
My dad and mum were from Okemesi Ekiti. My dad was from Ile Odofin, while my mother was from Asunnua.
Did the tradition of not burying deceased female children in the homes of their husbands not apply to your mother?
I do not know about that tradition. All I know is that we took her corpse to her family in their quarters, they did the necessary rites and prayers and we returned it to our place for the burial ceremonies.
How did your community react to your plan to bury your parents on the same day?
I have not seen nor heard of any reaction for now. But I don’t know whether people will start reacting on social media now that we have done the burial. I have yet to recover from the stress. It’s when I recover that I will have time to check social media for reactions. But then, ours was not the first time a couple was buried on the same day, even in Okemesi Ekiti. I can remember one like that. Although the couple died about three months apart, they were buried on the same day.
What new lessons did you learn from burying your parents on the same day?
All glory to God who knows and understands everything. There were many lessons in the incident. I don’t know how to share them with you now…
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