Kano’s Mass Wedding

The Kano State government has finalised plans to spend N1.5bn on a mass wedding for 1,500 couples. At this rate, the state aims to spend N1million on each couple.

The Commander-General of the Kano State Hisbah Corps, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, whose agency is actively involved in the mass wedding scheme, said part of the funds would be used to purchase furniture, food items, dowries, clothing materials for the couples, and a sum of N100,000 given to each bride, among other expenses related to the scheme.

This is not the first time the state has organised a mass wedding. The programme was popularised during Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s administration and has been sustained by successive administrations.

As expected, the state government’s latest plan to hold yet another mass wedding, projected to cost a whopping N1.5bn, has continued to generate reactions, with many questioning the rationale behind it.

Should a state government sponsor a mass wedding for its citizens when those citizens are able to organise their own weddings? If citizens cannot afford to organise their own wedding, should the state get involved, given that weddings involve more than just the marriage ceremony?

If Kano is opting for mass weddings because the couples are poor and cannot afford them, what happens afterwards when there are critical issues of feeding and caring for the wife and children that will naturally result from the wedding?

Kano Earmarks N1.5bn For Mass Wedding Of 1,500 Couples

Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria, with a projected population of about 16 million. There is no denying that a large population is a vital resource for development when effectively deployed.

Nevertheless, Kano State, despite its extensive human resource potential, is home to some of the country’s poorest people and has a high dependency ratio of 122 per 100 economically active persons, with about 8 million people, or 54.2% of its population, depending on roughly 6.9 million economically active individuals.

According to the Kano State Development Plan (KSDP), a blueprint designed to guide the state’s socio-economic growth, infrastructure expansion, and sustainable development, the majority of the over 7 million Kano women are married, with 3 in 4 women aged 15-49 years being currently married.

In 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics released its Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index report, which showed that about 10.5 million people in Kano are poor.

The reality is harsh, just as the statistic is shocking. This is a state with a population of around 15.9 million, of whom nearly 70% — in fact, 66.3% — are said to be living in poverty.

This is a state that currently shelters about one million out-of-school children, most of whom have endured various forms of abuse and are increasingly being exploited as cannon fodder by unscrupulous individuals.

Kano State reportedly has a child mortality rate of 1,025 per 100,000 live births as of 2025. There are concerns about the high malnutrition rate, with about 50% of children in the state said to be stunted.

Instead of indulging in mass weddings, should the priority of the Governor Abba Kabir administration not be on tackling the root causes of poverty, illiteracy, and social inequality, which in turn worsen the endemic poverty that has permeated the state?

Rather than focusing more on adopting a long-term social policy investment framework with protected funding for education, healthcare, social protection, and child development programmes, the state is prioritising mass weddings.

Over the years, successive governments have depended on short-term measures and occasional palliatives that have failed to deliver lasting results in a state plagued by high poverty levels, poor health outcomes, malnutrition, and low education.

Why can’t the government focus more on social safety nets, early childhood development, girls’ education, youth skills acquisition, and adult literacy programmes, since investments in human capital remain the most effective way out of poverty?

As a newspaper, we recognise that marriage is a noble act in Islam and is highly recommended. It is essential for establishing a family (especially for children), it is one of the most beloved Sunnahs, and it provides tranquillity, peace, and security. It is a bond of love not only between two individuals but also between two families.

However, the most effective way for any government to support this noble act is to foster an environment that combats poverty, enabling intending couples to marry successfully and fulfil all their marriage responsibilities. There is a limit to how many sponsored weddings, like the one planned by the Kano state government, can achieve this.