The Institute of Marriage Administrators and Counselors of Nigeria has said for marriages to be valid, there has to be total compliance with the spirit and letter of the Marriage Act.
Pastor Oladele Emmanuel Temilade, president of the institute, who spoke at the institute’s Governing Council Review Meeting held in Abuja, enjoined the federal government through the office of the Minister of Interior, to divide the nation into marriage districts.
Temilade explained that the institute is a non-profit making corporate body with the mandate to educate and give pro-active advice to both public and private institutions handling marriage matters in the country.
“Effort is being made to gain the audience of the Honourable Minister of Interior who by the statutory provision is mandated on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to direct where offices of registrars of marriages shall be, as the president might have divided the nation into marriage districts.
“In the same vein, it is to gain audience with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior who also by statutory provision is the Principal Registrar of Marriages to print and deliver the certificates of marriages to these several registrars and ministers in charge of licensed places of worship for celebration of marriages,” he said.
The chairman, Association of Chairmen of Local Government Service Commission of Nigeria, Hon. Nwata Chukwuemeka, who also spoke at the meeting, said marriage is the bedrock of what anyone could refer to as a nation.
He added that the association would do everything possible to advance the cause of maintaining the sanctity of marriage and encouraged the institute not to relent on delivering on its mandate of educating and giving pro-active advice.
Aso Chronicle learnt that attendance was drawn from Nasarawa State local government councils, FCT area councils and Oyo State local government councils, among others.
