Why APAMS Funeral Homes Has Remained No 1

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For more than three decades, the name APAMS has become almost inseparable from the modern funeral industry in Nigeria. What started as an unusual business idea in the early 1990s has grown into one of the country’s most recognisable funeral brands, particularly in the South-East and South-South, with offices extending to other parts of the country including Lagos.

Today, APAMS Funeral Ltd is associated not only with mortuary and funeral services, but also with elaborate ceremonies, customised caskets, sophisticated hearses, professional undertakers, brass bands, ambulances, exotic automobiles and, at different times, helicopter services. Its visibility at high-profile burials has further strengthened its image as a company that has transformed funeral undertaking from a largely informal activity into a sophisticated business.

The story of APAMS is also the story of its founder, Dr. Kevin Chukwumobi, an entrepreneur whose early exposure to pharmaceuticals eventually led him into a business that many people initially found difficult to understand.

Before APAMS became known for funeral services, Chukwumobi was involved in the Pharmaceutical business. It was from that background that the original APAMS name emerged. Reports on his early business history say APAMS stood for “Amuche Pharmaceuticals and Medical Services”, a name connected to his pharmaceutical venture and family name.

But the direction of the business changed dramatically when Chukwumobi developed a stronger interest in funeral undertaking. According to him, the idea had been developing in his mind even before he travelled abroad. His visit to a funeral home in the United States eventually strengthened his conviction that the funeral business could be handled professionally, with dignity, empathy and modern technology.

“I was born in Umuahia and schooled at Immaculate Conception Seminary,” he once revealed. Back then, I had interest in watching movies and watched a particular one that caught my attention. Later, when I travelled to the United States, I visited one of those locations which I saw in a movie, and there, I saw a Funeral Home and was impressed by the way they handled corpses,” Chukwumobi said.

He explained that money was not the original motivation behind the decision.

“Before that travel, I had the vision of going into funeral business, so, what I saw simply strengthened my resolve. Money was not actually my driving force at the initial stage. I was passionate about that vision, because I enjoy taking care of the dead with empathy for bereaved families,” he said.

The company’s roots in funeral undertaking can be traced to 1992. At the time, Chukwumobi was still involved in pharmaceuticals while also operating a small ambulance business. Eventually, he left Pharmaceuticals and concentrated fully on funeral services. An academic study on the development of APAMS similarly identifies 1992 as the beginning of the undertaking venture and describes the company as an attempt to modernise funeral rites.

The beginning, however, was far from glamorous.

In an environment where funeral arrangements were traditionally handled by families, communities and informal undertakers, the idea of establishing a sophisticated funeral company appeared strange to many people. Chukwumobi recalled that some people even questioned his sanity for attempting to build a business around death.

“Honestly, the beginning was extremely difficult and challenging. At the risk of sounding immodest, I am one of the pioneers of the funeral undertaking in this part of the world. What this means is that you struggle to sell what is entirely not in existence. People thought I was completely mad. How do you add glamour to sorrow?” he recalled.

According to him, APAMS did not achieve widespread acceptance overnight. It took roughly a decade for the business to gain the traction he wanted.

“It took me about 10 years to have the required traction for a breakthrough,” he said.

That period of persistence would eventually become one of the major foundations of the APAMS brand. Rather than treating funeral undertaking simply as the movement and burial of corpses, the company developed it into a complete service.

APAMS now operates as a one-stop funeral service provider, with services reported to include casket sales, embalming and mortuary-related arrangements, funeral planning, transportation, repatriation of corpses and other aspects of funeral ceremonies. Reports have also described the company as providing more than 30 funeral-related services.

The company’s growth has also been reflected in its physical expansion. Its headquarters and roots are strongly associated with Anambra State, particularly Onitsha, but the company has gradually moved beyond its original market.

In September 2024, APAMS opened an office and contact centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The Uyo facility was reported as the company’s 18th office in Nigeria at the time.

The company has also maintained a presence in cities including Lagos and Abuja, while expanding across the South-East, South-South and other parts of Nigeria. By 2025, reports were putting its network at more than 20 branches, showing how quickly the company has expanded beyond its original base.

For many Nigerians, however, the APAMS name became even more visible because of the way the company presented funeral ceremonies. Its automobiles became part of its identity.

Instead of relying solely on ordinary hearses and ambulances, APAMS introduced a fleet designed to make funeral transportation more sophisticated. Its vehicles, customised hearses and other exotic automobiles became a talking point at major burials. The company has also been associated with helicopter services, further contributing to its reputation for luxury funeral arrangements.

This is one of the reasons many people see APAMS as a luxury funeral brand. The company is not merely hired to move a body from a mortuary to a church and then to a cemetery. For families that can afford elaborate arrangements, APAMS can become part of the entire visual presentation of the final farewell.

Its brass band, uniformed undertakers, elaborate caskets, ceremonial vehicles and carefully coordinated funeral logistics have helped create a distinctive APAMS appearance.

The transformation is significant because the company entered an industry that Chukwumobi believed needed modernisation. In an earlier interview, he explained that while he was still in pharmaceuticals, he was already thinking about how funeral ceremonies could be given a different appearance.

“The idea to go into full funeral undertaking business came to me in 1992. Formerly, I was into pharmaceutical business, but along the line I was also doing ambulance business in a small scale until when I finally left the pharmaceutical business to concentrate fully on funeral service,” he said.

He added that he wanted to make the business more attractive and move it away from the traditional perception surrounding undertakers.

At the centre of APAMS’ success has been its ability to connect its services with some of Nigeria’s most prominent funerals. Over the years, the company has been associated with the final ceremonies of prominent Nigerians including Professor Chinua Achebe, Professor Dora Akunyili, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, former Anambra governors Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Chinwoke Mbadinuju, former Minister Ogbonnaya Onu, businessman High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Senator Annie Okonkwo and former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, among others.

Its involvement in high-profile funerals has helped create a powerful form of publicity. Whenever pictures of an elaborate burial emerge showing a convoy of sophisticated APAMS vehicles, uniformed undertakers and expensive caskets, the brand is immediately recognisable.

The burial of the mother of businessman and socialite Obi Cubana was another major event that drew widespread attention to the company. APAMS handled the funeral services, including the use of a gold-coloured casket, during a ceremony that attracted enormous public attention.

Such events have helped cement the public perception that APAMS is the funeral company for people who want their loved ones to receive a highly elaborate final farewell.

But the company’s founder attributes the longevity to Consistency.

“From experience, I have realized that the number one thing in entrepreneurship is passion. Passion is key because it is one thing that keeps you digging in there when the going is tough,” Chukwumobi said.

He also pointed to the importance of Patience.

“Consistency is the key. If I were not consistent in my business I would have fallen out. I stood firm despite the mockery and challenges I faced at the beginning of business. Now look at the result,” he said.

That philosophy has become particularly important because funeral undertaking is a business that requires families to trust the service provider at one of the most emotional moments of their lives. Mistakes in transportation, preparation, timing or ceremonial arrangements can create additional pain for bereaved families.

APAMS therefore built its brand around taking some of those responsibilities away from families. Instead of relatives having to coordinate every detail themselves, the funeral company provides personnel and services to manage many aspects of the ceremony.

This is also why the brand has survived for more than 30 years despite the emergence of numerous competitors.

By Benprince Ezeh

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