Who be di beneficiaries as Kano spend 1.5 billion naira on mass wedding for Muslims and Christians
Wia dis foto come from, KOLA SULAIMON VIA GETTY IMAGES
- Author, Abubakar Maccido
- Role, Reporter
- Reporting from, Kano
- Published
- Read am in 8 mins
Kano State govment on Friday, 7 August, don join 3,000 men and women for marriage under one mass wedding programme wey di state govment dey organise from time to time.
Di state govment don finalise plans to spend 1.5 billion naira on one mass wedding for 1,500 couples.
Part of di money wey di govment set aside go take buy furniture for di brides and also give dem business capital. Di govment go also provide money wey go help di grooms pay dia brides dowries.
Kano State govment mass wedding na govment-sponsored programme wey Kano State Hisbah Board dey organise to help low-income residents, widows and divorcees wit marriage costs, reduce children born outside marriage and support family stability.
Dis no be di first time wey di state dey organise mass wedding. Di programme bicom popular during Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso administration and successive govments don kontinu am.
Recently, govments for states like Katsina and Kebbi don also organise similar mass weddings for low-income pipo.
Wen BBC visit di Hisbah office for Kano, we see say di office full of pipo, and many young men and women, wey dis go be dia first marriage, don secure place for dis year mass wedding. E no be like bifor wen some pipo dey see mass wedding as somtin wey dey bring shame.
Wen BBC tok wit some of dem, dem express dia happiness say dem get opportunity to join di Kano State govment programme.
Habila Ya'u na one of di pipo wey secure place for dis year mass wedding wey di govment organise. E tok say e dey veri happy to get di opportunity and e pray make di marriage last forever.
Anoda groom, Bello Magaji Rogo, wey dis go be im second marriage, tok say e enta di mass wedding through im landlord afta dem announce say Kano State govment go organise di programme.
E say: "Actually I don dey plan to marry anoda wife, but I no plan to do am now. But wen I see dis opportunity, I enta bicos I already get di woman wey I wan marry.
"If no be for dis mass wedding programme, I no for marry now. So I pray make God bless dis marriage and di woman wey I wan marry," di groom tok.
On di side of di brides, Hajiya Sadiya Abubakar, wey get two daughters, also join dis year programme. She tok say bifor dem announce di programme, she no plan to marry soon until afta her daughters marry first. But sake of dis opportunity, she change her mind.
"Dis na my second marriage bicos since my husband die, I neva marry again.
"To tell di truth, if no be dis mass wedding, I no for marry now until afta I marry off my daughters afta Maulud celebration. But wen I see dis opportunity, God make me marry bifor my daughters," she tok.
"Bifor di marriage, I already get one suitor wey dey ask to marry me. Wen we see di opportunity, we just fill di form," she tok.
'We receive blessings through di mass wedding' - 2023 couples
Wia dis foto come from, Ruqayya Abdullahi Alhassan
BBC also tok wit some couples wey benefit from di 2023 mass wedding, and dem share dia happiness and how di programme help dem.
Ruqayya Alhassan Abdullahi na one of di beneficiaries of di 2023 programme wey Kano State govment bin organise.
"Bifor di marriage, I already get one suitor wey dey ask to marry me. Wen we see di opportunity, we just fill di form," she tok.
She tok say she no get anytin to tok apart from to tank God becos at dis time, tins no easy, so dem no even plan marriage bicos of di economic situation.
Ruqayya tok say she don receive blessing through di marriage becos she get one two-year-old pikin and she also dey pregnant.
She say: "Afta my first marriage end, I dey stay for house. Wen Abba Kabir Yusuf bicom govnor, e launch di programme bicos na one of di promises e make na to bring back mass wedding.
"Wen dem release di forms, I fill one immediately. I already get pesin wey I dey wit, but tins neva strong well. I tell am and e agree," Ruqayya tok.
Zubairu Abdu na also one of di grooms wey marry for 2023. Dis na im second marriage and e benefit from di second mass wedding programme wey di govment organise.
"Bifor dis programme start, I already dey wit di woman wey I marry. We plan say we go marry much later bicos na only plans we get. But wen di mass wedding opportunity come, we just join am immediately," Abdu tok.
E add say: "I get many benefits from di marriage. Marriage sef get blessing, and now I get one son wey we born, Yusuf. Dis marriage also open more opportunities for me financially."
According to Zubairu, mass wedding don now bicom more accepted unlike bifor wen pipo no value am and women dey shy to join di programme.
"Bifor, pipo dey see am like disgrace to join dis marriage, but if you look dis year, I fit tell you say young pipo plenty pass for di programme."
Abdu tok say dis na di challenge wey dem bin face bifor pipo begin understand di programme.
Wetin be mass wedding and who fit benefit?
Dis kain mass wedding get many questions wey pipo neva understand, especially concerning how di programme dey work, di age requirements for women and wetin go happun if di marriage later scata.
For one interview wit BBC News Pidgin, Deputy Commander of Kano State Hisbah Sheikh Dr Mujahideen Aminuddeen explain why Kano State govment dey organise mass weddings and how pipo fit join.
According to am, di mass wedding programme na to help widows, divorcees and single pipo marry, reduce high divorce rates and provide social support. Di govment dey cova dowry, furniture and food items.
"Dis marriage programme na for couples wey already love each oda afta di groom don prepare, but di bride family no get money to buy wedding items. Na dem go come by dia selves through filling di forms wey dem go collect from dia local govment," e tok.
According to am, evri woman wey dem go accept must don reach marriage age, and di groom too must get work or business.
Wen BBC ask am wetin go happun if di marriage later scata and who go own di furniture wey Kano State govment provide, e tok say: "Couples no fit divorce until dem come Hisbah make we investigate wetin dey happun inside di marriage, and we go first check weda di marriage fit still work.
"If di marriage finally end, di furniture wey govment give during di wedding go remain for di woman bicos na her di govnor give, no be di husband," Aminuddeen tok.
For one video wey Hisbah Commander Sheikh Aminu Daurawa release, e tok say dem don prepare ten yards of white shadda and caps for di men to wear on di wedding day. Dem also prepare Ankara materials for di women to sew.
"Dem don share shadda and caps to di approved grooms, while di brides receive Ankara materials and hijabs wey dem go wear on di wedding day," Daurawa tok.
On anoda hand, Dr Bashir, director of di agency wey conduct medical screening for di couples through tests for infectious diseases, tok say dem screen all di couples wey join di mass wedding across di 44 local govment areas of Kano State.
E make dis statement while presenting di certificates to Hisbah Commander Sheikh Daurawa.
"We screen all di couples wey go join dis mass wedding across all 44 local govments of Kano.
"We conduct HIV, pregnancy, Hepatitis B and C tests, and evri oda test we believe say couples need bifor marriage."
Finally, e tok say some couples no pass di medical screening stage, and dat na one of di reasons why dem experience some delay for dia work.
Requirements
According to Dr Aminuddeen, na dis mandatory steps pipo gatz follow to participate for Kano State mass wedding:
- Filling of forms at local government office.
- Medical screening: Mandatory premarital tests including genotype checks to prevent health issues like sickle cell disorder.
- Premarital counselling: Educational seminars on Islamic marital responsibilities and basic entrepreneurship.
- Divorce restrictions: Participants gatz agree to involve di Hisbah Board for counselling and intervention bifor dem pursue any divorce proceeding.
Fotos from di mass wedding
