The Kano State government headed by Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has earmarked over N800 million for mass weddings to procure furniture, food items, and clothing materials, dowry, and capital for 1,800 intending couples under its mass wedding scheme.
Meanwhile the Kano State Hisbah Board has said over 4000 prospective couples have registered to participate in the state-planned mass wedding scheduled for next month.
Daily Trust newspaper reported the board saying it had succeeded in selecting 1,800 couples and they were already being scheduled for medical screening as part of the prerequisite arrangement of the mass wedding proceedings.
Hisbah Deputy Commander General (operations), Dr Mujahid Aminuddeen, revealed that the selected couples would be subjected to HIV/AIDS, genotype and drug tests before they would finally be drafted for the sponsored mass wedding scheduled for next month.
“The government has made provision for only 1,800 but we have received thousands that have indicated interest to participate in the mass wedding. But when we briefed the Governor on the issue he assured the government’s commitment to continue with the programme. He even asked us to write and start processing for the next batch.
“After going through the applications, we would further screen the list to verify genuine participants and then forward it to the governor.”
Due to the recent economic downturn currently plaguing the nation, many people wanted to participate in the mass wedding especially girls and women whose parents wanted to marry them off but were unable to afford the cost of preparing the wedding process.
He advised the beneficiaries of the scheme to live in harmony, adding that those who divorce their spouses on flimsy excuses after the marriage would be made to pay back what the government expends on their wedding.
While shedding more light on the budgeted N20m set aside for the wedding party as earlier announced by the Board Commander, General Sheikh Aminu Daurawa, the Deputy Commander General (Women), Dr Khadija Sagir Sulaiman, revealed that the said amount was not set aside for the Walima (wedding party) only but it would also cover the pre-wedding activities including three days induction course for the couple and the entrepreneurship course for the women.
“An entrepreneurship course would be organised for the women. You know the women are to be given N20,000 each as capital, so when they learn a business skill such as soap making, car wash production, pomade, etc., they will be able to start a business with that capital. These are the things the said amount would be spent on.”
