Residents of Kano State have continued to react to the state government’s proposed mass wedding, with some opining that the move will address social vices, while others consider it a misplaced priority in the face of the myriad of challenges confronting the state and the country.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf announced recently that the State Executive Council (SWC) approved the release of N854m for the mass wedding scheme re-introduced by his government.
He said, “The Kano State Executive Council has approved the following: the release of the sum of N854m for the first phase of the Auren Zaurawa Mass Wedding Initiative.”
The government had explained that the mass wedding was part of its policy to help intending couples that could not get married due to hardship and also to curb the menace of sexual abuse.
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At the helm of the initiative is the Commandant General of the Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, who said the initiative would go a long way in curtailing societal vices and poverty as many marriages were being postponed due to the inability of parents to sponsor them.
Daurawa noted that all the intending couples must pass through four tests and that they would be screened before they could be considered into the system in order to avoid facing similar challenges that occurred in the past mass weddings when he was the commandant of the board before he was sacked by the last administration.
He further said, “This time around the couples must pass through four different tests which are HIV, pregnancy, genotype and drugs. We cannot consider anybody who doesn’t pass these tests. We are doing this to assist couples to live peacefully and have happy marriages. But if someone is into drugs or has a particular illness, then there is a problem.”
But in interviews with Daily Trust Saturday, while some residents commended the government’s initiative, others advised it to rescind the decision, saying it was a misplaced priority.
Malam Iro Isa said, “I see this as a misplacement of priority. How can a reasonable government spend such an amount on a wedding while millions of people are dying of hunger?
“The government should rethink and rescind this decision.”
Another resident, Alhaji Aminu Adamu, said, “The money that the government has set aside for the scheme is very huge. N854m is not a small amount of money. What are they spending the whole money for? We know that during Governor Ganduje’s administration the government spent about N30m for the wedding of 1,500 couples, and this government is conducting the wedding for 1,800 couples.”
Kabir Shehu condemned the idea, noting that it would bring more harm than good.
He said, “Let us tell ourselves the truth. Everyone knows that most Nigerians are living in abject poverty. You can have a family man with a number of children and he may go and take a second wife from the scheme and he is expected to produce more children from that marriage. So, how is he going to cater for the children?
“We are talking about a surge in our population, and not a positive one, because in Kano as it stands, the number of out-of-school children roaming the streets is already alarming, and now the government is creating a scheme that will further increase this number. We all know that most of these children end up as miscreants and criminals.”
He added that the question on the lips of many was that even if the government set up the intending couples with some money to get married, would it continue to provide for them?
Aliyu Ibrahim asked, “Hope the government will provide them with means to take care of the families they are about to start.
But for Hajiya Umma Sani, the scheme is a welcome development as it will help parents who cannot afford to marry off their daughters as a result of hardship.
She said, “Do you know that so many proposed marriages have been postponed while others cancelled as a result of poverty? Many parents cannot afford to provide the kayan daki (furniture) and kitchen utensils for their daughters. So, with this scheme, I believe many can be married off.”
Another resident, Hajiya Binta Abdullahi, who said she had been saving since last year for her daughter’s wedding, expressed happiness with the initiative.
She said, “All my savings since last year are still not enough to even take care of 50 per cent of what is needed for my daughter to get married. And with the immoralities in society, it is dangerous keeping girls that are ripe for marriage.
“So, when I heard that the government has reintroduced the mass wedding scheme, I was filled with joy, and now we are praying that my daughter will be fortunate to be among the 1,800 that will go with the first phase.”
Also speaking, Abullahi Baba said the initiative would help address social vices.
On the opinion that the scheme is a misplaced priority, Baba said the governor was aware of the challenges and was facing them squarely.
He said, “Lack of means to marry among youths is a great challenge and it poses a lot of challenges, including social vices.”
An Islamic cleric in the state, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, noted that the scheme was justifiable as many people in the state could not afford to marry off their daughters.
He said, “We can say that the mass wedding scheme which Kano State borrowed from some countries like Iran and Morocco is a good thing.
“We all know the economic hardship facing the country has made many parents unable to provide kayan daki (furniture) for their daughters. As a result many marriages have been postponed while some cancelled.
“And we have many youths who are supposed to get married but they can’t, and as a result, social vices are on the increase. So, with this mass wedding, many people would be married off.”
Sheikh Khalil, however, appealed to the affluent to always come to the aid of those not well to do and allow the government to focus on other areas of need.
He said, “Everyone should look for those that cannot afford to marry off their daughters in their neighborhood and help them. If we can do this, I think the government would focus on other things instead.”
How we will utilise the N834m – Daurawa
Speaking on how the board intends to spend the N834m the government approved for the scheme, Sheikh Daurawa said that the board had so far procured furniture and other materials for the 1,800 couples.
He explained that the amount was meant for among other things clothing, foodstuff, furniture and other necessities for the wedding.
He said, “Each bride will receive a set of bed, mattress and pillows, a bag of rice, a carton of macaroni and 20 litres of cooking oil, as well as N20,000 to start up a business.”
Daurawa said that the wedding date would be announced to enable residents and individuals willing to contribute their quota towards the desired objectives to do so.
He further said, “Some philanthropists have pledged to contribute their quota to ensure the success of the wedding.”
He advised the beneficiaries on living in harmony with each other, warning that those who divorced on flimsy excuses would pay back every dime invested on them.
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