The Golden Garden and Vaults, a private-owned cemetery in Ondo State, has expressed dismay on the breach of the laws prohibiting the burial of corpses within residential premises in the state.

The Managing Director of the Vaults, Prince Solagbade Amodeni, stated this at the inauguration of the cemetery on Thursday in Akure.

Amodeni noted that the development posed attendant health implications on the people and environment.

He explained that the vaults initiative was to get the state involved in urban renewal activities to combat the challenge of availability of burial ground due to location or affordability.

According to him, burying dead bodies at residential buildings is against the extant law of the state.

The managing director explained that the vault was out to change the narratives and bring a paradigm shift into the administration, management and maintenance of cemetery in the state and its environs.

According to him, it has been a scary and horrifying sight of tombs in most of the cemeteries in the country.

“Most cemeteries are bushy caved in and unkempt with snakes, reptiles and miscreants taking over the facilities. No wonder people are afraid to die.

“What we are seeing today is the realization of a dream, a fully serviced private cemetery located on 35,000m, well laid-out and landscaped parcel of land and 3,000 vaults capacity with adequate parking space.

“ There is independent power supply and 24 hours guaranteed electricity supply powered by solar and 100KVA Caterpillar generator. Other facilities include a multipurpose event hall for weddings, burial services and seminars.

“There is also additional expanse of land for out-door events with canopy rentals of various sizes,” he stated.

He said that the initiative would complement the efforts of the state government in the provision of burial grounds for the departed ones.

“Golden Garden and Vaults came into being to improve on the existing method of managing burial process and to create peaceful, decent and conducive final resting place for the departed loved ones.

“ In essence, the Golden Garden and Vaults with necessary facilities and amenities has come to fill the gap and provide serene, secured, accessible and peaceful final resting place in addition to reducing the spate of body parts harvesting through exhuming of corpse,” he said.

Amodeni appreciated the state governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, for creating enabling environment for entrepreneurship to thrive in the state.

In his remarks, Akeredolu commended the initiative which he described as great and one of its kind.

The governor, who was represented by Mr Wale Akinsolotu, the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, said that the private vaults would enable people to bring their dead relatives for befitting burial.

He added that the vaults would also create social services and make people to bury their dead ones in a dignified manner and environment.

Akeredolu stated that his administration had created enabling environment for private investors to function unhindered, saying that the vault was a testimony.

According to him, the state is business-friendly and there are many incentives that will make investments to prosper.

The governor urged people to patronize the vault which he said was beautiful, adding that it was archaic to be burying the dead within the residential premises.