Emotion, Jubilation, Hope As Over 300 Orphan Girls Wed At Dutse Government House

It was an extraordinary moment, full of emotion, jubilation, and hope, that ever took place at Dutse Government House in Jigawa State, when over 300 orphan girls tied the knot with their loved ones.

On Friday, 15th May 2026, Her Excellency, the wife of Jigawa State Governor, Dr Amina Umar Namadi, led the grand occasion, which marked a turning point in the state’s history.

It is one of the biggest dreams of every average girl to grow up and become a mother. At the same time, marriage stands as the most accepted formal way of achieving such a dream in any ideal and disciplined society.

Marriage is always conducted in accordance with the laid-down religious, cultural, and societal norms and values. It comes with expenses that are often very difficult for the less privileged and vulnerable in society to bear.

Under the Northern Nigerian cultural norms, particularly the Hausa-Fulani, in which Jigawa State falls, a father is responsible for marrying off his daughter. Unfortunately, for girls who grow up as orphans, that responsibility often shifts to their mother or any immediate family member, who may not necessarily be strong enough to handle it.

Under such circumstances, orphan girls find it very difficult to actualise their legitimate motherhood smoothly. This has enabled some wealthy people in society to shoulder the responsibility of arranging their marriages, en masse or otherwise.

Though mass weddings have been practised as a means of assisting the less privileged since time immemorial, they have never been organised by a government institution since the creation of the state over 30 years ago.

Out of her compassion for the plight of women and the less privileged in society, the wife of the Jigawa State Governor, Her Excellency Hajiya Dr Amina Umar Namadi (Garkiwan Marayu), initiated and sponsored a mass wedding for over 300 orphan girls from across the 27 local government areas.

The colourful event was a turning point in the state’s history. Thousands of family members, friends, and well-wishers gathered at the Government House banquet hall in Dutse to witness the final ceremony and the distribution of empowerment grants to the newlyweds.

The initiative demonstrated Hajiya Dr Amina Namadi’s commitment to the welfare of vulnerable and less privileged people in the state, promoting cultural values and moral discipline, and strengthening the family institution to build an ideal society.

According to the State Hisbah Commander, Sheikh Dr Hafiz Bashir, the beneficiaries were selected based on established criteria with support from their immediate communities.

He noted that the couples were already in love when Her Excellency decided to intervene and facilitate the marriage.

“We are all aware of the current economic downturn in the country, and the condition is more difficult among rural dwellers, while orphan girls become even more vulnerable. This initiative has really ameliorated their social plight,” he said.

According to him, orientation and lectures were organised for the couples at different centres, while the wedding Fatiha was conducted after both parties presented medical certificates, in accordance with Islamic Sharia law and the Jigawa State Marriage Act.

In her speech, Hajiya Dr Amina Umar Namadi said the initiative was made out of compassion for vulnerable girls and the difficulties mothers face in marrying off their orphan daughters.

“We took responsibility for sponsoring the marriage, including the dowry, the furniture, and other logistics. We also offered a token amount of money as empowerment to the young couples for them to start a petty business or even goat rearing,” she said.

She then urged the newlyweds to continue showing love, compassion, and sympathy for each other and to live a happy married life in accordance with the spiritual and cultural norms as guided by Sharia law.

Her Excellency reiterated her commitment to continuing projects and programmes that will improve the lives of women, the vulnerable, and the less privileged, to complement the efforts of her husband, Governor Umar Namadi, in his quest to make Jigawa a happy society for all.

The colourful and unprecedented ceremony brought joy and happiness to the couples and to all people with human compassion from near and far.

A young couple, Hajara Rabiu and Rabiu Musa, described the moment as one of fulfilment and also the beginning of their family life.

“We have been in love with each other for the past three years, and because the girl was an orphan, the wedding was postponed twice due to financial constraints. But the intervention of Her Excellency made everything easy now,” they said.

“Now we are a couple, and we are very happy to have each other as lovely partners. We thank Her Excellency and all the people who contributed in one way or another to actualising our long-time dream,” Rabiu stated.

Hafsat Salisu and Salisu Musa from Roni Local Government were also among the beneficiaries of the initiative. They were seated comfortably on the elegantly donated mattress and bed, a typical moment for new, lovely couples, while responding to questions from Leadership.

The groom, Salisu Musa, with his bride, Hafsat Salisu, beside him, said they were at a loss for words to thank Her Excellency Hajiya Amina Namadi and Governor Umar Namadi for the joy and happiness they brought to them and their families.

“Today is a moment of happiness and accomplishment. They helped us actualise our dreams at a time when we were so desperate for assistance. We pray Almighty Allah takes care of them and their family for eternity, just as they took care of hundreds of orphans, including us,” they said.

“We will continue to pray that God guides the Governor and Her Excellency to continue initiating projects and programmes that will put smiles on the faces of Jigawa people.”

“The empowerment grant given to my wife and the assistance given to me — I will hand over the money to my wife for her to start any business of her choice. I promise to support her so that we can build a self-reliant family and become a pillar for peace and development in Jigawa State.”

Almost all the couples, friends, and well-wishers who gathered for the occasion were visibly and emotionally happy with the unprecedented initiative that aimed to support vulnerable groups in building their futures.

Certainly, the philosophy behind establishing and supporting any government is to pursue the well-being of its people in all ramifications, and this laudable initiative of Dr Amina Umar Namadi has proven that the government of Malam Umar Namadi is on the right track to making Jigawa State a happy society for all.