Worried by the financial burden on bereaved families, the Mwagavwul community in Mangu Local Government of Plateau has abolished the feeding of sympathisers visiting bereaved homes.

“Experience has shown that bereaved families go through a lot in the efforts to feed and please the multitude thronging in to sympathise with them over the loss of loved ones.

“As a community, we have banned such feeding in the bye-laws endorsed by our development association,” Mr Joshua Mape, National President, Mwagavwul Development Association, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos.

He said that it was not fair to worsen the economic situation of mourning families, adding that the community arrived at the decision after “very wide consultation”.

Mape said that the practice of feeding mourners was alien to the community.

“Feeding sympathisers is not part of Mwagavwul culture. It is not fair or right,” he said

He regretted that some bereaved families had often borrowed to feed sympathisers, saying that the trend was “a huge and unnecessary burden”.

Mape, however, suggested that sympathisers could bring food to bereaved homes to feed those that had lost their loved ones.

“In Mwagavwul land, the sympathisers are expected to take food to the bereaved families because they are already hit by the trauma of losing a loved one and cannot cook,” he said.

He said that the association set up a committee which looked into issues affecting Mwaghavul culture before it enacted the bye laws to guide the lives of the people and save their culture from being corrupted.

“The bye laws abolished celebrating the death of people less than 65 years. It also pegged the bride price to be paid on Mwagavwul daughters at N50,000, irrespective of location and education”.

The association leader commended Mwagavwul rural communities for celebrating annual festivals, saying that the platform had always promoted the unique culture and heritage of the people.

Mape urged the Plateau government to complete work on the 150 kilometres Panyam- Wamba road abandoned more than a decade ago, saying that it would ease the movement of farm produce from rural communities to urban centres. (NAN)

Update news