Why casket business booms in Jos

For casket makers in Jos, the Plateau State capital, it is a matter of making fortunes from other people’s misfortunes.

For casket makers in Jos, the Plateau State capital, it is a matter of making fortunes from other people’s misfortunes. In this report, Daily Trust Saturday examines why there is an increased patronage of the trade in the Tin City, the passion behind it as a means of livelihood, etc.

 

Yusuf Aminu Idegu, Jos 

Every living thing dies, including humans. After the initial shock, what occupies the minds of the living is how to bury the dead. In some cultures and religions, the quality of the burial ceremony depends on the economic status of the family, relatives and friends. Depending on beliefs, rituals are conducted during funeral prayers. For Christians, the dead are buried in a casket, but for Muslims, those that depart this world are wrapped in a simple white cloth before they are lowered into the grave. 

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The need for caskets has, therefore, created trade for certain categories of people since it is divine that people must die and the dead must be buried in a particular format.  

The emergence of many coffin shops in the streets of Jos could serve as a pointer to an increase in demand for the product. Known for its decades of ethno-religious crisis that have claimed thousands of lives in communities in Plateau, deaths are frequently recorded; hence burials are rampant. Consequently, the demand for caskets is likely to increase.  

Daily Trust Saturday found that within the last five years, more than 10 casket shops have emerged in Jos city. As one drives through the Yakubu Gowon Way, one of such new shops is located between the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat and Miango junction. This is just about 300 meters away from Sparkling junction in Dadin-Kowa, where two other casket shops are lined by the roadside. These two shops are owned by two separate individuals. 

Casket making is fast becoming a sector of sorts considering its level of expansion and the number of apprentices working in the shops.

Casket shops are also located opposite the building materials market, along the Bukuru-Jos road, and others around Rayfield, Rukuba road, Dogon Dutse, Rantya and many other locations of the Tin City. 

They are also found in most parts of the 17 local government headquarters of the state. 

Asked if the prolonged violent crises and recent killings in Plateau State are responsible for the springing up of casket shops in Jos, Babatunde Olushoto, who runs the largest and the oldest casket factory in the state capital, told Daily Trust Saturday that the answer could be yes and no at the same time. “It is yes because when death occurs there will be a need for caskets, especially for bodies that must be transported outside Jos. But I will say no because most of the victims of recent killings are too poor to afford caskets, so their families bury them without it.” 

 

Olushoto might not be wrong in his submission as our correspondent reports that victims of most of the attacks on communities are usually given mass burial, which often does not require caskets. The most recent was the attack that claimed over 100 lives in Kanam Local Government Area and victims were buried in mass graves. Similar occurrences have also taken place in Bassa Local Government Area and other parts of the state. It was, however, gathered that during some of the mass burials, some family members would prefer to single out their loved ones for a ‘befitting burial’ that would require a casket.

Casket makers in Jos, though not operating under an association, admitted that the price of caskets is on the rise in accordance with prevailing economic realities of the country. In one of the shops, the lowest price of a casket is N200,000, while the highest costs as much as N300,000.

Another casket maker, Duma Ishaya said, “We have a casket for everyone. We have for the poor, the average and the rich. 

“We witnessed a boom in the business during Jos crisis because most of the people killed were none indigenes, so their corpses were conveyed to their homes.”

He said that during ethno-religious crisis, people from the South East and those from other states, such as Kogi, Kaduna and Lagos would usually take their dead home for burial, irrespective of religion.

Julius Solomon, a resident of Dadin-Kowa said casket makers were critical members of the society as they offer essential services. “God must have inspired them to take that trade so that they can satisfy the need of the society. You will appreciate them more if you have lost a loved one. They are essential workers like nurses and medical doctors,” he said. 

Another resident, Mark Jatou, said casket makers were there to fulfill the word of God. He said, “It is God that creates life and death. When death occurs, there must be burial as no family desires to abandon their loved ones. So casket makers are there to fulfill such need,” he said.   

This was corroborated by The Rev Nehemiah Dakong, who said many people may look at casket makers with disdain, but their handiwork needs to be acknowledged. He said, “Imagine if no one learnt the work, how would people bury their dead? It is our culture as Christians to bury our loved one in a casket; and it is the same culture in every Christian community all over the world. So it is natural that some must learn the trade and provide the services.”

As essential as casket makers are in every society, their services are hardly advertised, except in their showrooms where customers explore to select products of their choice. Olushoto further said, “We do not advertise our products simply because the society is already sentimental to our kind of business. We have been stigmatised ignorantly by the society. Some say we are harbingers of death. But even as we don’t advertise, people patronise us because they need our services.”

Explaining that there are various reasons people take to casket making, Olushoto said he took over from his father. “I am a graduate of Computer Science from the Federal University, Akure, but I opted to go into my father’s business because I have passion for it.

“Computer Science could have fetched me better income, but I derive joy in doing this, probably because my father sponsored me to the university with the money he made from selling caskets and because I am passionate about it,” he said.  

He added that most of his customers were from poor backgrounds and would hardly raise N20,000 to buy the least casket. He said, “Some of them are already frustrated with hospital bills, and they must bury their loved ones. In addition to caskets, they must hire ambulances to transport the dead home, and so on. I am often moved to give them a casket of N60,000 at N30,000. I have even given some caskets free of charge. My joy in doing so is that someone was in need and I contributed to lighten his burden. Most of them will come back after the burial and say, “God bless you.” And that gives me satisfaction.”

He said his knowledge as a computer scientist was being applied in constructing caskets, which has given him an edge over his competitors. He further said that with many casket makers springing up in Jos, to succeed, one must be passionate about the trade.

Contrary to the insinuation that casket makers rejoice from other people’s misfortunes, Olushoto said he often prayed for patronage like every other businessman, but he would not wish anybody death. He, however, added that death is natural. “My prayer has always been, “God, if death happens, let those looking for caskets locate and patronise me,” he said.

In spite of the social stigma associated with casket making, there are many apprentices in the various shops in Jos, an indication that the trade is becoming acceptable as an essential sector in the state, country and the society.