The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, has appealed to Governor Babagana Unara Zulum to, as a matter of urgency, allocate land for a second cemetery within the state capital to relieve the old Gwange main cemetery which has been over stretched since 1972.
The paramount ruler added that the emirate council was worried over the matter, following a series of appeals received from the people in the metropolis.
The royal father, who stated this at his palace while addressing journalists on the matter, Thursday, reiterated his appeal to the state government to intervene with the view of providing another piece of land within the city centre to be used as alternative cemetery.
He said the Gwange cemetery located in the city centre has been in use for over 72 years with the people expressing the need for another one.
“Based on the complaints received I have directed my council to compile the list of all the existing and abandoned cemeteries,” the monarch said.
Stating the urgency of the request, he lamented that in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere local government area alone, there are at least 126 cemeteries that have been either underused or abandoned but people keep patronising the Gwange cemetery for burials even from far distances.
He also enjoined the state government and philanthropists to provide basic facilities for burial rites at the cemeteries to encourage people to use other cemeteries, pointing out that continuous overuse and congestion of the Gwange cemetery would create health challenges in the neighbourhoods, including possible outbreak of epidemic.