A burial
ceremony in honour of the former Cross River State Commissioner for Youths and
Sports, Mr. Raymond Obeten, was disrupted on Saturday in Obubra Local
Government Area, when a giant lizard dropped from the rooftop.
ceremony in honour of the former Cross River State Commissioner for Youths and
Sports, Mr. Raymond Obeten, was disrupted on Saturday in Obubra Local
Government Area, when a giant lizard dropped from the rooftop.
Obeten,
who was the immediate past commissioner in the ministry, died on August 29 at
the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital from liver complications.
At the
burial ceremony, several people scampered to safety with some screaming on the top
of their voices when the lizard fell and dashed towards the crowd.
burial ceremony, several people scampered to safety with some screaming on the top
of their voices when the lizard fell and dashed towards the crowd.
The
incident brought the burial proceedings to a halt as the cleric who was
conducting the farewell mass was taken aback and had to step aside to ask what
the matter was.
incident brought the burial proceedings to a halt as the cleric who was
conducting the farewell mass was taken aback and had to step aside to ask what
the matter was.
However,
one of the villagers, who identified himself as Mr. Obongha, said the crowd
which consisted of relatives of the deceased and his kinsmen from Adun and
neighbouring villages, were afraid because they read superstitious meaning into
the incident.
one of the villagers, who identified himself as Mr. Obongha, said the crowd
which consisted of relatives of the deceased and his kinsmen from Adun and
neighbouring villages, were afraid because they read superstitious meaning into
the incident.
“For a
diabolical society like ours, the death of a person is always attributed, not
to an ailment but one person or an amorphous factor. So, people get scared when
something strange, no matter how ordinary, occurs during burial,” he said.
diabolical society like ours, the death of a person is always attributed, not
to an ailment but one person or an amorphous factor. So, people get scared when
something strange, no matter how ordinary, occurs during burial,” he said.
Also, the
younger brother to the deceased, Mr. Otaba Obeten, alluded to this when he said
the demise of his elder brother was “mysterious and its source could not be far
from the tussle currently going on in the village.”
younger brother to the deceased, Mr. Otaba Obeten, alluded to this when he said
the demise of his elder brother was “mysterious and its source could not be far
from the tussle currently going on in the village.”
But the
commotion did not bother the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Efiok Cobham, who was
already seated and awaiting the arrival of Governor Liyel Imoke.
commotion did not bother the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Efiok Cobham, who was
already seated and awaiting the arrival of Governor Liyel Imoke.
In his
farewell message, Imoke eulogised his former aide, saying he took his job
seriously.
farewell message, Imoke eulogised his former aide, saying he took his job
seriously.
Imoke
said, “Ray Power, as we called him in the State Executive Council, was close to
me. He was one person that had great sense of humour because during debate he
would not make his speech without a joke that would send us all laughing, no
matter how serious the matter was.”
said, “Ray Power, as we called him in the State Executive Council, was close to
me. He was one person that had great sense of humour because during debate he
would not make his speech without a joke that would send us all laughing, no
matter how serious the matter was.”
The
governor called on the family and the people of Adun, the deceased immediate
community, to remain united no matter what differences that might exist between
them.
governor called on the family and the people of Adun, the deceased immediate
community, to remain united no matter what differences that might exist between
them.
He
consoled the deceased’s wife, Helen, and his two children, David and Odam, and
asked them to remain humble and focused so that their father’s expectation and
desire for them would come to pass.
consoled the deceased’s wife, Helen, and his two children, David and Odam, and
asked them to remain humble and focused so that their father’s expectation and
desire for them would come to pass.
