My Neighborhood Watch #87 - Reporting Events Around us

Dated: 15th February, 2025

Situations in life is sometimes difficult to contend with that many are kept in the dark because of what they have passed through in life or how life has passed through them. Everyday we hear of hunger, sickness, suffering and DEATH. Someone you saw yesterday is no longer in existence. Was he sick? No. Accident, No. What happened then? He just collapsed and died or didn't wake up again.

I don't want to be reminded of my past as I'm trying to be strong as I write this report. I doubt there's a day death hasn't consumed a soul. Last year, I lost 4 friends in the cold hands of death. They didn't involve in an accident or were old enough to die. Their death happened almost on a monthly interval and the symptoms weren't severe but took their lives. It happened in such a way that I asked myself if I'm the next.

This year, this is the second death I'm hearing of. A friend of mine died last month and my Coursemate's Father just died, rendering her fatherless. In life as imperfect humans, our first parents passed death and sin to us. This is the reason we die today though it was expected that people would have to grow old before they die but now, people are die before they even cross old age or adulthood. Death is inevitable.

It's just that no one expects death to come when it shouldn't that's why people cry profusely without comfort. To the report of the day. MY COURSEMATE LOST HER DAD LAST YEAR IN THE COLD HANDS OF DEATH. It was the funeral I was invited to attend on Saturday, 15th February. We went as a department to weep with those who weep.

As a department, we decided to come out in our numbers to support and comfort her. Even if her dad isn't alive to be a father to her, she have brothers and she has us. So we planned on going to the village where the father is from to attend this funeral as it was held there.

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We boarded a bus to the place which was roughly 2 hours drive. It was really far and we spent money though. It's even better than going there individually. We had to pay as a group to make the expenses cheap. On getting to the village, we alighted and matched into the funeral tent where guests were seated. We arrived the event by 12pm UTC.

The reason we were late for the programme is because we didn't have proper planning which made most of us who cancelled plans of coming at first before their minds were changed. That morning, we had to wait for nearly 2 hours for those who indicated interest in attending. Their lateness to the pickup point made us arrive late though not completely late. The dead wasn't buried. We took pictures as a group. I did my work as the photographer there.

We got seated under a canopy as led the attendants. Our coursemate was spotted under a tent where her brothers and relatives were seated with a portrait of her late dad. She was moody because it was a difficult and trying moment for her but as she saw us, her mood lightened a bit than how it was before. She got a family outside blood, who represented her there.

Following the order of events, we sat as one person, observing all that was done there. Then, she came out to read the biography as the last child of her father. Her name is Uyai which means beautiful in English Language. After the biography was read by her in a shaky voice, her brothers surmonned courage to voice out even though it was an impromptu speech presentation. The first born which is a man gave the most touching speech I've ever heard in a while. His speech reminded me of my very good friend who died and is yet to be buried.

	Uyai Abasiofon

Many see it as a lost hope but we have the hope that we'll see our dead loved ones being brought back to life as there's a resurrection hope for them as stated in the scriptures. This hope has made me confident that even though I'm to die now, I have hope of a resurrection and it's this hope we usually hold on to when we lose our loved ones. We get comforted with this hope. The bereaved were told to march round the canopies stationed there for visibility.

Uyai took the portrait of her late father and patrolled round the canopies. We went out to support her. It was time for her late father to be buried. The casket bearers came out in their uniforms to carry the coffin to the graveyard. Her father is going to be buried she said, breaking into tears. The relatives of the father were the only ones invited into the graveyard.