The Kano Hisbah deputy commander, Mujahideen Aminuddeen, says that the Kano mass wedding is open to both Muslims and Christians who are interested.

Mr Aminuddeen stated this in Kano. According to him, three Christian couples participated in the last one conducted in October 2023.

He said arrangements are ongoing for the upcoming one, and he cannot yet ascertain whether Christian intending couples are participating.

Mr Aminuddeen said the mass wedding, which is now known as ‘Auren Gata’, meaning “marriage for the privileged”, is open to all intending couples like widows, widowers, divorcees, spinsters and bachelors.

According to him, the mass wedding plays a key role in strengthening families and reducing immorality in the state.

He said one of the major objectives of the programme was to fulfil the Prophet Muhammad’s injunction encouraging Muslims to marry and raise families.

Mr Aminuddeen said the initiative also curbs street hawking by girls seeking money for marriage expenses, while reducing immoral behaviour associated with delayed marriages caused by financial hardship.

Mr Aminuddeen said Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration was particularly targeting orphans and underprivileged families that could not afford to marry off their daughters, noting that all beneficiaries were selected after screening and verification.

A stakeholder, Muhammad Lawan-Yakub, described the initiative as commendable, saying it would strengthen families, protect young people from immoral behaviour and contribute to social stability.

He expressed confidence that the counselling, screening and post-marriage guidance provided by the board would enhance the success of the marriages and reduce divorce rates.

A Kano resident, Jamila Suraja, said the programme had benefited many vulnerable families and urged beneficiaries to approach marriage with sincerity.

She, however, expressed concern that some couples in previous batches allegedly entered the marriages mainly to access government support rather than build lasting families.

Another resident, Hassan Maikadara, said the initiative had created opportunities for many men and women who wished to marry but lacked the financial means. He added that it would help many young people protect themselves from immoral acts.

An economist, Abdulsalam Kani, said the initiative has the potential to boost economic activities in the state if properly implemented.

Mr Kani said the initiative, through the empowerment of beneficiaries, would translate into poverty reduction, one of the major root causes of rampant divorce cases.

“As part of the initiative, the government will empower beneficiaries. Empowerment will help reduce poverty and unemployment. One of the major root causes of rampant divorce in the northern part of Nigeria is poverty. You cannot get married if you don’t have a means of livelihood. We need to understand that empowerment will only succeed if those who are going to be empowered have a particular skill or are in a particular trade,” he said.

Muhammad Hadi-Musa, a sociologist, said the initiative should be evaluated not only as a ceremonial or welfare programme but also as a broader social development strategy.

“The mass wedding initiative sponsored by the Kano State Government has become one of the most visible social intervention programmes in Northern Nigeria. The current Governor, Abba Yusuf, like his predecessors, demonstrated exemplary quality on Sharia implementation, such as establishing marriages. At its core, the mass wedding programme reflects a public policy response to social realities,” Mr Hadi-Musa said.

According to him, by providing basic support packages, government intervention helps low-income individuals formalise relationships that might otherwise remain delayed.

“Kano has arguably recorded several visible gains from such programmes. The initiative has helped normalise simpler and more affordable wedding models, challenging excessive ceremonial spending that often delays marriage.

“It has also reinforced the idea that public institutions can participate in family-support policies rather than limiting interventions to infrastructure and economic sectors alone. In addition, the programme has generated public conversations around responsible marriage and family values,” Mr Hadi-Musa said.

In his recent briefing on the upcoming mass wedding, whose date is yet to be fixed, the commander-general of the Hisba Board, Aminu Daurawa, said the Kano government has earmarked N1.5 billion for the event, which will accommodate 1,500 couples.

Mr Daurawa said the preparation was in top gear, with expected couples subjected to screening for HIV and other tests. He said the board would ensure that the couples are compatible and healthy, and that every groom has work and can provide accommodation for the bride.

Mr Daurawa said the government would give each groom N100,000 to be presented as dowry to their brides. He said the government would also support each bride with N100,000 as an empowerment to start a business while in their matrimonial homes.

“The government will spend N1 million on each couple, totalling N1.5 billion. Each groom will be given N100,000 as dowry for their brides, N100,000 as a token for the brides as empowerment, and beds, mattresses, furniture, and food items. Five thousand applied for the programme. A total of 3,000 are to benefit from the initiative; that is, 1,500 couples,” he explained.

He said couples were subjected to HIV, hepatitis B, pregnancy and genotype tests.

According to him, anyone who participates in a mass wedding cannot divorce their wife without the board’s consent.

(NAN)