When someone passes away, the responsibility of making their funeral arrangements may be burdensome. This often leads to questions about who should shoulder the responsibility. The deceased may designate someone to make choices regarding their funeral arrangements, and this must be honored. However, if the deceased passed away without leaving explicit instructions about their funeral wishes, their next of kin naturally has the legal authority to plan everything.
The Will
If the deceased named an executor in their will and documented their funeral wishes, the executor assumes responsibility and acts according to those documented wishes. An executor is the person legally responsible for managing a deceased individual’s assets and fulfilling their final wishes as outlined in a will. In a situation where the family disagrees on religious or cultural beliefs, the deceased may designate a specific person to handle the arrangements, to avoid potential conflicts.
The Next of Kin
In Nigeria, funeral planning is typically handled by the deceased’s next-of-kin. This includes spouses, children, parents, legal partners or siblings. If the person who has died is a child, then the parents are normally entitled. However, where the deceased is an adult the order of priority would be spouse, children, parents, siblings, members of extended family before friends. Disputes sometimes occur when family members with the same entitlement are at loggerheads with each other and refuse to agree on different aspects of the funeral arrangement.
What if No One Takes Responsibility?
It is possible for someone unrelated to the deceased to arrange and pay for the funeral. Perhaps you are a friend and the deceased really has no family left, you can decide to stand in the gap.
Have you found yourself responsible for making funeral arrangements and are not sure where to start? Omega Funeral home will lessen your burden by guiding you through the process.