Any person who dies before the 1st day of December of the year shall be buried and his or her funeral
rites performed before the said date.
No funeral rites shall be performed between the 1st day of December and 2nd day of January of the succeeding
year, except in respect of death occurring within the said period.
ANy bereaved family which infringes the provisions of this sub-head shall upon proof thereof pay the sum of
N500.00 (Five hundred Naira) as penalty to the Oraifite Improvement Union (OIU).
Funeral rites of a deceased shall, subject to the foregoing provisions, be performed within two weeks of
deaths.
An infringement of this provision attracts a penalty of N500.00 (Five hundred Naira) from the bereaved
family to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
The number of canon shots to be allowed for any funeral ceremony except where an exemption is granted shall
not exceed, in the aggregate, twenty-one shots, all inclusive.
Save as herein above provided the firing of shot gun or any portable hand gun at a funeral ceremony is
hereby prohibited.
Any violation of the provisions hereby stipulated shall upon proof thereof attract a penalty of
N300.00 (Three hundred Naira) from the bereaved family to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
The provisons and penalty hereunder shall not apply to the Igwe,the four Obis, Ichies and holders of
honorary Chiftancy titles in the Oraifite Community and the eldest person in Oraifite Community.
The use of microphones or any other public address system for announcing the entry of individuals or groups
or for the personal description and praise of individuals or groups during funeral ceremony is hereby
prohibited.
Use of microphones and other public address system is restricted to special announcements, funeral songs,
music and orations.
An infringement of the provisions hereunder by a bereaved family shall upon proof thereof render it liable
to a penalty of N300.00 (Three hundred Naira) payable to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
All forms of trading at funerals are hereby abolished and prohibited.
Any person who sells and/or buys at a funeral ceremony shall upon proof thereof be liable to a penalty of
N100.00 (One hundred Naira) to be paid to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
Only one cow may be presented by the bereaved family during the funeral of a man.
For the Imena Ozu Nwaokpu ceremony only one native goat may be presented by the husband's family
to the relatives of the deceased woman during the funeral a woman.
A contravention of any of the provisions hereunder attracts on proof thereof a penalty of N500.00
(Five hundred Naira) from the bereaved family to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
The ceremony of Ikwuchi-ite or Ubuna-ngega is hereby abolished and prohibited.
Any person or bereaved family who or which performs the said ceremoney shall pay a penalty of
N500.00 (Five hundred Naira) to Oraifite Improvement Union.
All wine and gift carrying processions at funeral ceremonies are abolished and henceforth prohibited.
Gifts per person, family unit or group are restricted and listed to:
Any violation of the provision hereunder shall upon proof thereof attract a penalty of N100.00 (One hundred Naira) payable by the offender to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
Not more than one tray shall be used for collection condolence money or other gifts during any funeral
ceremony.
Recorders of condolence money and gifts shall not be allowed to sit with the mourners on the same table for
the purpose of taking such records, but shall, however, sit behind the mourners.
A bereaved family violating the provisions hereunder shall pay a penalty of N100.00 (One hundred Naira) to
the Oraifite Improvement Union.
The serving of drinks or food to sympathisers before a deceased person is buried interned or committed to
earth is hereby prohibited.
A violation of this provisions shall attract a penalty of N100.00 (One hundred Naira) payable by the
bereaved family to Oraifite Improvement Union.
The wearing of mourning uniform is restricted to the members of the immediate family of the deceased.
The wearing of mourning uniform by the members of a decease's extended family is hereby prohibited.
Any person who infringes the provision hereunder shall upon proof be liable to a penalty of
N100.00 (One hundred Naira) to be paid to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
Save as hereinafter specifically provided a window shall be subject to a traditional period of confinement
of not more than six months following the burial of a deceased.
A widow who is an employee of a company, firm firm, person, public or private corporation, ministry and/or
parastatal may soon after the burial or funeral of a deceased return to her employment as may be directed
by her employer.
The wearing of lace materials as mourning cloths is hereby prohibited.
Any person who stays in confinement for more than six months or uses lace material as mourning dree or
clothes shall upon proof thereof be liable to a penalty of N100.00 (One hundred Naira) payable to
the Oraifite Improvement Union.
No person other than the daughters, daughters-in-law, or immediate sisters of the deceased shall be allowed
to participate in the activity of traditionally known as "Itu Ukwe" during any funeral ceremony.
A breach of the provision hereunder stipulated shall upon proof thereof attract a penalty of N50.00 (Fifty
Naira) payable to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
The period of mourning by Umuokpu (married daughters) of the bereaved family shall not exceed three days,
except n the case of an Igwe, an Obi, an Ichie, an honorary Chief of the Oraifite Community and the eldest
person in Oraifite Community.
A violation of this provison shall upon proof thereof attract a penalty of N50.00 (Fifty Naira) payable by
the bereaved family to the Oraifite Improvement Union.
The presentation of live fouls to performing masquerades at funeral ceremony is hereby prohibited.
Any bereaved family which infringes this provision shallupon proof thereof pay a penalty of
N50.00 (Fifty Naira) to Oraifite Improvement Union.
Funeral ceremonies and allied functions as may be recognised by the Oraifite Community shall be performed on the
appointed, scheduled and advertised day and for one day only and shall not be by any circumstance be
rescheduled postponed or extended to another day.
Food and drinks may be provided at funerals for relatives, sympathisers, associations or group of persons,
but the presentation of live animals is prohibited.
Presentation of food to a bereaved person or family by a club, an association or a group of persons during
funeral ceremonies is hereby prohibited.
Any contraventions of the provisions hereunder stipulated shall upon proof thereof attract a penalty of
N500.00 (Five hundred Naira) from the offender or the bereaved family payable to the Oraifite Improvement
Union.