Worried by the rate of divorce in Muslim communities, the Federation of Muslim Women in Nigeria (FOMWAN) in Kaduna State has commenced marriage counselling for would-be and married couples in the state.
The counselling, which will last for nine weeks, is aimed at equipping would-be, married couples and spinsters with the necessary marital skills for successful married life.
The Amira of FOMWAN in Kaduna, Pharmacist Aisha Isiyaku, while speaking at the inaugural lecture held at the Sultan Bello Mosque, said, “We looked at the situation and found out that marriages are collapsing. You find that some, a week after marriage, they start developing problems, and so we decided to have pre-marital and post-marital training like a counselling centre so that issues can be resolved without divorce.”
The Chairperson of the Marriage Counselling Committee, Hajiya Fatima Atiku Mustapha, said the commencement of the counselling and pre-marital training would strengthen couples’ understanding of what marriage was all about.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of Sultan Bello Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Sulaiman, emphasised the need for women to marry once they attained marriageable age in order to avoid living promiscuous lives.
He described marriage as a sacred and lifelong commitment, advising that teachings concerning marriage should be strictly adhered to.
The First Lady of Kaduna State, Hajiya Hadiza Isma el-Rufai, who was represented by the Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Muhammed Baba, charged the women to be committed to the upbringing of their children.
