By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operation
The Kebbi State Government has concluded arrangements to sponsor the marriage of 300 couples under its third mass wedding programme, with each groom set to receive a ₦250,000 dowry as part of efforts to support family formation and social welfare.
Chairman of the State Mass Wedding Committee, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, announced the initiative on Tuesday while briefing journalists in Birnin Kebbi.
Argungu said the beneficiaries were drawn from the state’s 21 local government areas and 225 wards after undergoing a comprehensive screening process.
According to him, the programme, organised by the Kebbi State Government in collaboration with the NANAS Foundation, the pet project of the governor’s wife, is open to all qualified indigenes irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation..
He explained that each groom would receive a ₦250,000 dowry in accordance with Islamic traditions, while all intending couples would undergo compulsory medical examinations to assess their health status and compatibility before the wedding.
Argungu added that local government committees had also been directed to verify that every groom has a sustainable means of livelihood capable of supporting a family.
He said the mass wedding ceremony would be held in Birnin Kebbi and attended by Governor Nasir Idris, Islamic clerics and other prominent dignitaries.
Beyond the dowry, he disclosed that the NANAS Foundation would provide newly married couples with beds, mattresses, food items and other household essentials to ease the burden of starting married life.
The committee chairman further revealed that a monitoring committee had been established to oversee the welfare of the couples after the ceremony and ensure that the items provided are properly utilised..
The mass wedding initiative is part of the Kebbi State Government’s social intervention programmes aimed at promoting stable families and supporting less-privileged residents seeking to marry.
