The Economy Of The Dead: Earning A Living From Funeral Activities

WHEN the issue of death is mentioned, the discussion is naturally usually with some trepidation. It is a phobia to many. In spite of this, for some, it is when people die, whether young or old, that they earn a living. For this category of people, dead bodies are not what to run from, it is lucrative business, the means of earning daily income. For these professionals, though dead bodies may have no economic value, money could be made from them.

In the past, those who take care of dead bodies from hospital to the point of burial cannot be classified as professionals, probably because they do not take interest in the service they provide or are not organised to be taken serious as professionals. Now, that has changed, because many, who operate within the funeral service sector that could be dubbed the economy of the dead, are now comparable with professionals in other fields. Many of them now proudly talk about their profession and what they do.

Therefore, what the new players have done is to add glamour and finesse to how they carry not just themselves, but also the way they execute their assignments and jobs. So, while many are probably lamenting and in anguish at the loss of their loved ones; for others, it is time not only to earn a living, but time to smile to the bank. They get paid handsomely for helping to provide support to bury the dead.

The professionals in that sector of the economy are not limited to casket makers, embalmers, gravediggers, band boys, tomb stone designers, mortuary attendance, pallbearers and funeral director.

Mr. Erukubami Magnus is into monuments exclusively for burial activities and purposes. He has three staff working in-house and additional two contract staff, usually brought in to provide support during the installation of a sculpture at a burial site. Disclosing that he inherited the business from his late elder brother, Magnus claimed that on the average, he rakes in about N3million annually, which used to be more than that in the past, but had dwindled because there is a lull at present in the business.

According to him, he took over from his elder brother in 2009, but the business was set up in 1985. There is a giant imprinting machine in his office used for some of the designs. He said the machine costs about N5million though there is a higher version that is better. He said he had not been able to acquire the newer version because of inadequate fund.

He said the fees charged for each job vary, principally taking into consideration the quality of material needed for the task, as well as the profile and the negotiating power of the client.

Moses Ramos sells casket and he is based in Lagos Island. He said a casket is valued depending on the design and the quality of materials used to produce it. He said a casket with touch of gold could cost about N5million. He also disclosed that there are wooden and metal caskets, which are usually imported from China, Malaysia and America. And the price of a metal casket is usually from N500,000 and above, depending on the grade of the metal.

On his monthly take home package, he could not provide a figure because sales fluctuate and as such he could not put a hold on his monthly profit.

Another professional within the economy of the dead are the ambulance drivers. They usually convey dead bodies from the hospital to the mortuary or vault. According to findings, the fees paid by clients also vary, based on the profile and the negotiating power of the client.

The Managing Director of Sanusi Ambulances, Mr. Mudasiru Sanusi said his company, like many others, moves caskets to any point in the country. And it could be from the hospital, mortuary or homes to the burial site. “It is the service the client wants we give. We move dead bodies to any location the owners want. From home, we move it to the mortuary or the hospital for doctor’s report and sometimes to a Police station for Police report.”

Disclosing that he has been in the business since 2003 and happy doing it, Sanusi stated that the distance of the point of take-off to the destination of offloading, the age of the person who died and the disease he or she died of are some of the factors that determine the fee charged for the movement of a corpse by him.

“We do not have a particular amount we charge. Within the state, for instance from Isolo General Hospital to Ikeja Mortuary, the minimum is N20,000.” He however refused to give his average monthly take-home pay, saying he cannot put a figure to it because it fluctuates from month to month.

Another group within the economy are the interior décor providers, who supply the fabrics and materials used in designing the inside of the caskets. There are also tailors, who knit the fabrics into the appropriate designs that help to beautify the inside of the casket.

Also playing critical role are the pallbearers. They help in carrying caskets at funerals. Investigation revealed that while some are on a monthly pay package, others are paid on contract. It was gathered that the minimum for those on monthly employment is N60,000.

Israel Udoh is a carpenter with specialisation in casket production. He has been in the business for about 10 years now, principally because he gets opportunities and patronage to build more caskets, among other furniture jobs he executes. According to him, there are different grades and shapes of casket, which dictate the design and cost.

He also said that casket could be metal or wooden, disclosing that the cost of a wooden casket usually ranges between N50,000 and a million naira on the average.

“The price of a casket is principally affected by the grade of the wood. We have woods like Mahogany, Whitewood. For the shape, we have flattop, dome and eight-edges.”

On the profit margin, Udoh said it is not fixed. Hear him, “the profit on caskets differ. I can sell a casket for N400,000 and the same casket to another person for N200,000.”

He however said that the profit margin is higher if the casket is meant to bury an elderly person, especially if the relatives of the dead person are adults who are financially buoyant and ready to celebrate in style.

“People die every day, the same way newborns are recorded daily. And you cannot bury people without casket, though we don’t pray that somebody should die. However, we usually prefer that elderly people die because that is when the relatives and the children of the dead spend more for burial activities, including buying expensive casket. If it is a young person, most times casket of N50,000 is what is used to bury such.”

Udoh said, averagely, he takes home over hundred thousand naira monthly, though his income is not fixed, depending on the volume.

The Director of DC Heavenly Gate Limited, Mr. Olusegun Babatunde said his company provides full package; from private mortuary service to embalming, storage and preservation and then to building of caskets of various standards and grades for different classes of people in the society.

“We build graves and tombs. So, we could provide service for anything pertaining to funeral activities. We could also provide the link to the entertainers and other sideline activities.” He further said that his organisation has band boys that perform during funeral procession, wake-keep or burial day. “We have pallbearers that carry the corpses.”

Babatunde said that the fees vary. “An average locally made casket is between N50,000 and N300,000.” He said that a client should be willing to pay at least N25,000 for a day to enjoy the service of pallbearers in his company.

Besides the vehicles deployed in moving dead bodies across locations, Babatunde’s company could also provide horse carriage or motorcade services to convey the dead body to the vault in a glamorous fashion. “The amount for this depends on the destination and the profile of the dead person.”

He also said that a high profile horse carriage or motorcade could cost up to N550,000, though the destination is also factored into the pricing.

For embalming, he said it could cost a client between N15,000-N20,000 if local chemical will be applied in the process of preservation of the corpse, but from N50,000 if foreign chemicals would be used because the foreign chemicals are more expensive.

“For the storage of a dead body, we charge N300 naira per day. For vault service, the minimum we charge is about N120,000 and this involves, digging, blocks, tiling among other activities. And it is for a single grave. If you want concrete slab, it is going to be more expensive,” Babatunde said.