A bride and groom receive their rewards during an inaugural mass wedding held in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.
No less than 300 divorcees, widows and paupers were married in a mass wedding in Birnin Kebbi sponsored by the state government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the wedding took place on Sunday at the Abdullahi Fodio Palace in the Emirate of Gwandu.
The wedding was organized by the state government of Nafisa Idris, wife of the state governor, through her pet project, the Nafisa Nasir Development Foundation (NANAS).
Governor Nasir Idris, who presided over the wedding, advised the couples to be friendly and confident with each other.
Represented by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Muhammad Usman-Ankwe, the governor announced that mass weddings would be held periodically to help the less privileged come together 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 receiving a dowry of N70,000.
A representative sample of the bride and groom during the wedding.
The governor added that the administration also provided room furniture and food to all the couples to consolidate their marital relationship.
He said the mass wedding had been solemnized after extensive consultations with Islamic scholars in line with the practice of the Noble Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW), who authorized his followers to enter into marriage alliances for the good of society and have blessed offspring. . .
Idris advised couples to respect the institution of marriage, saying that grooms should protect the rights and privileges of their wives, while brides should remain loyal and support their husbands.
While praising his wife (Nafisa) for the mass wedding programme, which was the first of its kind in the state, the governor said it would go a long way in reducing the number of divorcees and helping indigent men get married.
In her speech, the governor’s wife expressed her gratitude to her husband for providing the moral and material support that made the mass wedding possible.
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He also advised couples to respect each other and protect each other’s rights and privileges, and to live a dignified life as husband and wife.
Mrs. Idris informed the couples that her foundation, in collaboration with the state government, would teach them to acquire skills in various trades to enable them to engage in profitable ventures that would enable them to be self-reliant.
The governor’s wife announced that before the wedding took place, all couples were examined for health problems.
He thanked all stakeholders involved in organizing the event, specifically mentioning the chairman of the main organizing committee, Suleiman Argungu, and the guest preacher, Aminu Daurawa from Kano State, for their contribution to the success of the event.
The organizing committee chairman and former Kebbi deputy governor, now APC national organizing secretary, Suleiman Argungu, said the couples were selected from the 21 local government areas of the state based on Islamic jurisprudence.
Islamic scholars, comprising the Director General of Kano State Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim-Daurawa; Prof. Mansur Isah-Yelwa; Sheikh Mustapha Yawale-Jega; Sheikh Abubakar Yusuf-Yauri; and Sheikh Umar Isah-Magaji, enlightened those gathered on the commandments of the Noble Prophet SAW on the marital relationship between husband and wife, which must be respected.
Islamic clerics prayed for the governor and his wife for the event which they said had a significant impact in reducing immorality and cleansing society of social ills.
The Emir of Gwandu, Muhammad Bashar, who served as Waliy (Guardian) of the brides, extended his hands in marriage with prayers for a happy married life. (YAYA)