Mass wedding: Kano govt spends N1.5bn for 1,500 couples

The Kano State Government has disclosed that it committed N1.5 billion to the successful conduct of the mass wedding of 1,500 couples under its Auren Gata mass wedding programme, urging the couples to exercise patience and uphold justice, fairness, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence in their homes.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf made the disclosure during a reception and distribution of furniture and other support items to the newly married couples in Kano.

The governor said the expenditure covered medical screening for all the brides and grooms, aimed at safeguarding their health and that of their future children.

According to him, each couple received N100,000 as dowry and an additional N100,000 capital grant to enable them to start small businesses and become economically self-reliant.

He added that the government also provided household furniture and essential items, including beds and mattresses, as well as food items and other commodities to cushion the economic challenges the couples might face during the early stages of their marriages.

Governor Yusuf urged the couples to exercise patience and uphold justice, fairness, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence in their homes.

He reminded them that marriage is an act of worship and advised them to build their homes in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.

The governor stressed that mutual respect, patience and tolerance were essential for sustaining peaceful and successful marriages.

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He explained that the Auren Gata programme was one of the key promises made by his administration during its campaign across the 44 local government areas of the state ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the North-West Governors’ Forum and Katsina State Governor, Umar Dikko Radda, commended Governor Yusuf for initiating the programme, describing it as an intervention aimed at improving the welfare and living conditions of the people.

Earlier, the Commander-General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Sheikh Dr Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, said the mass wedding initiative had gained recognition within and outside Nigeria.

Daurawa said the programme was designed not only to provide financial support to young couples but also to prepare them for the responsibilities and challenges of married life.

Some beneficiaries, including Muhammed Bello, Hadiza Ibrahim and a host of others, commended the state government for introducing the initiative.

They appealed to the government to sustain and expand the programme to enable more couples to benefit from the mass wedding scheme.