No fewer than 300 divorces, widows and indigents got married to their loved ones at a maiden mass wedding sponsored by Kebbi State Government.
The maiden wedding took place at the Abdullahi Fodio palace in Gwandu Emirate, Birnin Kebbi, on Sunday.
The wedding was organised by the state government under Hajia Nafisa Nasir Idris, wife of the state governor, through her pet project, Nafisa Nasir Development Foundation (NANAS).
Governor Nasir Idris, who presided over the wedding, advised the couples to be friendly and confident of each other.
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Represented by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Muhammad Usman-Ankwe, the governor announced that such mass wedding would be held periodically to assist the less privileged men and women to be joined as husbands and wives.
Idris said his administration provided N21 million as dowry for the 300 brides from the 21 local government areas of the state, with each bride getting a dowry of N70,000.
The governor added that the administration also provided room furniture and foodstuffs to all the couples to consolidate on their marital relationship.
He made it clear that the mass wedding had been solemnised after wide consultations with Islamic scholars in consonance with the practice of the Noble Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW), who authorised his followers to enter into marriage allegiances for the good of society and bearing blessed offsprings.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Idris advised the couples to respect the institution of marriage, saying that the grooms must protect the rights and privileges of their wives, while the brides must remain loyal and supportive to their husbands.
While commending his wife (Nafisa) for striving hard to actualise the mass wedding which was the first of its kind in the state, the governor observed that it would go a long way in reducing the number of divorcees and assisting indigent men to be married.
In her speech, the wife of the governor and the founder of the NANAS Foundation expressed immense appreciation to her husband for providing the necessary moral and material support that made the mass wedding possible.
She also advised the couples to respect one another protect each other’s rights and privileges, and live a decent life as husband and wife.
Nafisa informed the married couples that her foundation in collaboration with the state government would teach them skill acquisition on various trades to enable them to engage in profitable ventures for self-reliance.
The wife of the governor announced that before the wedding took place, all the couples were screened for health issues and found to be in a sound state of health.
She thanked all stakeholders involved in the organisation of the event, specifically mentioning the Chairman of the main organising committee, Alhaji Suleiman Argungu, and the guest preacher, Shiekh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa from Kano State, for their invaluable contribution to the success of the event.
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The Chairman, of the organising committee and former Deputy Governor of Kebbi, now the National Organising Secretary of APC, Alhaji Suleiman Argungu, announced that the 300 couples who joined in wedlock were selected from all the 21 local government areas of the state based on Islamic jurisprudence.
Islamic scholars, comprising the Director General, Hisbah Board, Kano State, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim-Daurawa; Prof. Mansur Isah-Yelwa; Sheikh Mustapha Yawale-Jega; Sheikh Abubakar Yusuf-Yauri; and Sheikh Umar Isah-Magaji, enlightened the gathering on the commandments of the Noble Prophet SAW on marital relationship between husband and wife, which must be adhered to.
The Islamic clerics prayed to Allah to reward the governor and his wife for embarking on a noble venture of mass wedding which, according to them, has a significant impact in reducing immorality and cleansing the society of social ills.
The Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu Bashar, who served as the Waliy (Guardian) to all the 300 brides, gave out their hands in marriage with prayers for a blissful married life.
