The Kebbi State Government has conducted a mass wedding for 600 couples drawn from the state’s 21 local government areas, providing financial support, household items and business tools to help the newlyweds begin married life.
The beneficiaries, comprising 300 men and 300 women, were selected from across the 21 local government areas, with each council producing between 10 and 12 couples. The initiative, organised by the wife of the governor, Hajiya Nafisa Nasir Idris, targets less-privileged adults and divorcees who could not afford the cost of marriage.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to the Governor, Abdullahi Idris Sadaukin Zuru, each bride received a ₦250,000 dowry in line with Islamic injunctions, while every couple was presented with household furniture, including a bed, bedding, cupboard, chairs and an official marriage certificate.
Politicians and other well-wishers also donated between ₦10,000 and ₦50,000 to individual couples, alongside clothing and trade equipment to support small businesses, bringing the estimated value of support received by each couple to between ₦350,000 and ₦400,000.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Haliru Abdu Multipurpose Stadium in Birnin Kebbi, Governor Nasir Idris said the mass wedding programme had become a permanent social intervention aimed at supporting vulnerable residents and strengthening family values across the state.
“This programme is here to stay. We will continue to support those who genuinely need assistance because strong families are the foundation of a peaceful and prosperous society,” the governor said.
Before the solemnisation of the marriages, prominent Islamic scholars, including Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, Prof. Mansur Sokoto, Sheikh Abdulrahman Isah Jega and Sheikh Abdulrasheed Makarfi, delivered sermons on the importance of marriage, family stability, peaceful coexistence and good governance, urging the newlyweds to build their homes on love, patience and mutual respect.
In her remarks, Hajiya Nafisa Nasir Idris expressed gratitude to Allah, donors, traditional rulers, religious leaders and guests for supporting the initiative.
“We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of this programme. Our goal is to ease the burden on families, promote responsible marriages and give these couples a dignified start to married life,” she said.
The ceremony attracted senior government officials, religious leaders and political dignitaries, including the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu; the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id; Chief Mujidat Folashade, daughter of President Bola Tinubu; the Emirs of Argungu and Zuru, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera and Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi Mika’ilu Sami Gomo III, as well as members of the National and State Assemblies.
West Trybe reports that mass wedding programmes have become a recurring social intervention in parts of Northern Nigeria, helping to reduce the financial burden of marriage, promote family stability and support low-income residents while encouraging stronger community cohesion.
