The governor of Cross River, Ben Ayade, established a funeral committee in December 2021. The state government reportedly provided some funds to the committee led by the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Kanu Agabi.
However, 14 months after his death, Wayas' body was neglected due to the controversy surrounding the funeral funds, leading to the resignation of key committee members.
One of the committee's key members, Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo, confirmed that he had since left the committee but did not give reasons. He stated that the governor made funds available to prosecute the funeral. However, Wayas' first son, Joseph Wayas Jr, should be better positioned to explain why his late father's body had not been interred.
Wayas Jr said that the funeral committee was responsible for handling the funeral and that he had little to do.
He commended Ayade for his support to the committee but said they could not bury his father 14 months after his death.
Before his death, Wayas Jr's father had access to the best medical care in London, but the resources provided by the family got exhausted within three months. Before he passed away, his sister in London bore the cost of his treatment and had been maintaining the corpse since 2021.
Meanwhile, the permanent secretary of the state Ministry of Health, Dr Iwara Iwara, said he hadn't heard anything further.
The chief media adviser to the governor, Barrister Christian Ita, said that he didn't want to get involved in the matter and suggested speaking to funeral committee members. The information commissioner, Eric Anderson, did not respond to texts or pick-up calls.
The delay in carrying out Wayas' burial is regrettable, and there is a need for all parties to come to a resolution to give the former Senate President a befitting burial. Wayas Jr's commendation of Ayade's support for the committee is appreciated. Still, more needs to be done to ensure that the funds required for the funeral are provided and the necessary arrangements to lay Wayas to rest.