The Jigawa State government says it has sponsored and conducted the wedding of 270 selected orphaned girls in the state.
Malam Mustapha Saleh, special adviser to Jigawa State governor, Muhammad Badaru, disclosed this, yesterday, during the exercise in Dutse.
Saleh said that 10-orphaned girls were selected from each of the 27 local government areas of the state.
“Ten beneficiaries were selected from each of the 27 wards of the state by the committee shouldered with the responsibilities of selecting and screening eligible beneficiaries.
“And they were selected based on merit, not political affiliation or any other thing,” he said.
Saleh further disclosed that more than N93 million was spent by the state government to sponsor the wedding, including the provision of complete house furniture for the beneficiaries.
According to him, the gesture is part of the government’s effort to support the poor and vulnerable in the state.
Saleh added that medical tests, including HIV/AIDS tests, were conducted on the couples in order to ascertain their genuine health status before the marriage.
“We decided to conduct the medical tests because it was the best way to engender trust in the minds of the couples.
“The screening conducted had been a success story, as none of the couples was found to be carrying diseases that would disqualify them from benefitting from this kind gesture.
“And this is because joining the couples in suspicious circumstances, will make them distrust each other, which might end up destroying the relationship,” Saleh said.
In her remarks, the wife of state governor, Hajiya Asma’u Badaru, who distributed furniture and other items to the beneficiaries, urged them to live in peace with their respective husbands.
According to her, living in peace would make the union to last long.
She also reminded the couples of the need to imbibe the fear of Allah, in dealing with their marriage.
Badaru added that they would be made to account for what they did in the hereafter.
“The mass wedding was consummated on high expectation and commitment, and I hope that it will last for eternity,” she said.
Also commenting, the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammad, urged the grooms to treat their wives kindly.
Muhammad reminded them that Islam forbids beating, or abusing marriage partners on the premise that the conjugal union was consummated to instill happiness, love and mutual trust, in the minds of each other.
“We call on the couples to imbibe the spirit of fairness as ordained by Islam.
“In Islam nothing is ambiguous on how a husband and wife should live together devoid of unnecessary vendetta,” the emir said.
He also advised the husbands to support their wives to further both their Islamic and western education.
NAN reports that each of the 270 brides was given bed, mattress, wardrobe, cushion chairs, pillows, bed sheets, cottons, leather rugs, among other things.
Some of the beneficiaries, Nasiba Tata, Sadiya Bala and Jamila Bello, commended the Jigawa State government for the gesture and promised to live in peace with their husbands
