The Cemetery Worker Who Used to Be a Multimillionaire

The Cemetery Worker Who Used to Be a Multimillionaire

What is your name and where are you from?

My name is Abiodun Yinka. My parents are from Shagamu in Ogun state but I was born and brought up in Obalende, Lagos state. My parents are late. My father was a security guard at the local government secretariat in Obalende. My mother was a businesswoman who brought plantain in large quantities from Ijebu to Lagos markets. She passed away five years ago. I am married with four children. My wife works as a cleaner in the General Hospital at Marina Lagos.

Tell us about your education.

I attended Apese Primary School in Ikoyi and St. Grace Secondary School in Ikoyi. I studied Business Administration at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. After my National Diploma, I decide to go into business. I started hustling at under bridge Obalende. I sold air conditioners, fridges, and freezers. It was through the support of my mother and some family members that I was able to get enough capital to set up my business. The business started booming after about three years. I could call myself a multi-millionaire. I traveled abroad to import goods. But I thank God for the position I am in today.

How did you get into this line of work?

I lost all my capital to fraudsters. My business did not recover from that loss. I started looking for funds from friends and relatives. No one could assist me.  All efforts to get a loan from banks failed. I decided to look for a job. I was submitting applications to one organisation after another. They kept telling me they would call me when there is a vacancy. None called. The positions were reserved for their friends and family members.

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I was just at home doing nothing when a friend of mine told me of a job opening in the local government. When I went for the interview, I didn’t know the position they were recruiting for. They told me they were looking for workers to dig graves and take care of the cemetery. I was shocked as I wasn’t expecting anything like that. They asked me if I was interested in the job. I said yes because I was desperate for a job at that time. I thought, “after all, this is what some Nigerians abroad do for a living”.  If others could travel to another man’s land to bathe dead bodies, why can’t I work in a cemetery in my own country? This was what came to my mind when I decided to take the job. And here I am today. I have been working here for the past 27 years.

What are your working hours?

I resume by 8 am and I close by 5 pm. My house is not far from the cemetery, so I often hang around till 6 pm. If there is a burial going on, I sometimes stay till 7 pm. I stay this late to lock the cemetery when everyone has left.

How much do you get paid monthly?

My salary is close to N85, 000 now. I started as a casual worker who was earning N1, 000 – N1, 500 per month in 1997. But when they realised I was educated, I was made the head of cemetery workers. My salary rose to N20,000:00 in 2003. My salary was increased gradually to what I am receiving now.

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How much do you save and where do you keep your money?

I don’t have a fixed amount. I save anything I can. Things are expensive now. There are times I go back to withdraw some of the money I have saved. But I try as much as possible to save N20,000:00 monthly. Some months I save less than that because of family demands. My salary is paid directly to the bank. This enables me to save with the bank.

Where do you live and how much is the rent?

I live in a room and parlour apartment in Obalende. It’s not a flat. It is just a room and parlour in a face-me-I-face-you house. I pay N8, 000 monthly.

Do you have any experiences to share about ghosts and other mysteries of the cemetery?

This is my personal belief- these “experiences” are based on stories people heard while growing up. We all grew up listening to “folktales” about ghosts and supernatural occurrences. These stories have shaped our minds. Nollywood has entrenched our beliefs in the supernatural. A lot of people cannot enter the cemetery or sit on a grave because of things they have watched in Nigerian movies. All these ghost stories to me are myths.  I don’t believe any of these things. I have not seen any ghosts in 27 years of working in cemeteries. So, I can’t say if they exist. But I can only speak for myself.  If you ask the night guard here, he might have a different thing to say. I don’t spend the night here. I believe a cemetery is a resting place. The dead do not disturb the living and the living also do not disturb those who have come here for their final rest.

Do people come here to exhume bodies?

I have heard stories about ritualists trying to exhume bodies. But what I can talk about is people exhuming bodies in their houses and bringing them here to be buried. This happens when people sell houses where loved ones have been buried. We are invited to exhume the bodies after the necessary documentation, such as the police report and local government clearance, has been put in place.

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Do you have to have charms to be a cemetery attendant?

All I will say is that even the Bible says that God helps those who help themselves. No job is easy. You have to protect yourself with what you believe in.

When do you plan to leave this job?

I have been working in this cemetery for about 27 years now. I love this job and I don’t plan on quitting anytime soon. I am growing old but I will continue to do this job until my children are old enough. I can decide to quit then. My children have promised to take care of me when I am old.