The Kano State government has united 3,600 men and women in matrimony across the 44 local government areas of the state.
The event which took place at the Central Mosque in the emir’s palace in Kano yesterday, was in fulfilment of the promises made by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to conduct a mass wedding for widows and divorcees when he comes to office.
The marriages were completely sponsored by the state government which spent N800 million. The solemnisation of the wedding was led by the state chief imam, Professor Sani Zahraddeen.
Earlier on Thursday, the usual Islamic rights of the marriage that include the payment of dowry, pronouncement of the knot of the wedding by the brides’ parents in presence of witnesses as well as the acceptance of the knot by the grooms took place at the office of the Hizbah, the Shari’a police in Kano.
The commander of the Hizbah, Sheikh Aminu Daurawa, had announced that each of the brides was paid a dowry of N50,000 after undergoing several health tests that included HIV, blood group and hepatitis.
The government also bought a set of house furniture and food items to each of the couples and gave N20,000 to all the brides to start a micro scale trade.
Further festivities of the wedding are scheduled to take place today at the Kano Government House where families and friends of the couples will feast and listen to admonitions on wedding by religious leaders.
Present at the mass wedding was the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
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