The government of Kano State recently announced that it had screened 3000 persons for a mass wedding spectacle or fiesta. Under this arrangement government paid dowry, furniture, food, and clothing for couples. Men were screened for ‘ability to care for wives. The brides were mostly ‘widows, divorcees, spinsters.

From all accounts Kano State is the only state in Nigeria that performs this dramatic form of weddings. But in this journey, the state is not alone. “Mass weddings are practiced globally for religious traditions, cultural celebrations, or as government initiatives to help low-income couples and refugees overcome the high costs of marriage,” writes Meta AI.  South Korea is “famously known for massive, internationally attended ceremonies hosted by the Unification Church, where thousands of couples marry simultaneously”.  Also in this business of mass weddings is India where mass weddings “are frequently organized by charities, religious institutions, and community groups to help underprivileged couples avoid crushing debt”.

In South Africa “certain independent churches—like the International Pentecost Holiness Church—host massive collective ceremonies. In Palestine (Gaza/West Bank) & Jordan “mass weddings are heavily sponsored by charities to help young couples who cannot afford the high financial costs of traditional weddings”.

In Cameroon “Local councils and humanitarian groups (such as the UNHCR) host collective civil weddings to help locals and refugees legally register their marriages and obtain vital documents”. Mexico’s version of the event is handled by local governments which “frequently organize free, mass civil wedding ceremonies on Valentine’s Day to help couples legalize their relationships affordably. Saudi Arabia organizes mass weddings too handled by Charities and local bodies. The fantastic sums being voted by Kano State government is therefore unique and peculiar to that State! Kano is the only place where a subnational government gets involved in mass weddings. All the others are handled by NGOs and Charities!

This laudable programme started during the administration of Governor Ibrahim Shekarau between 2003 and 2011 in order to ‘reduce zina/adultery, curb ‘singleness crisis, and lower marriage costs. Being 95% Muslim and Sharia compliant, Islamic teachings encourage ‘early marriage and discourage extramarital relationships. The goal is to ‘reduce prostitution, single motherhood, and social vices, which former Governor Shekarau brands ‘fighting immorality.

The first batch of mass weddings in Kano was made up of 1800 couples. Governor Kwankwaso continued and expanded it and added ‘Hisbah vetting: brides had to pass chastity and background checks. Men were not screened for chastity because by convention, chastity in men is not an issue. Why should a man be chaste when he is in charge of things? Between 2015 and 2023, and under then Governor Ganduje, ‘mass wedding became a brand. Under the incumbent governor, the focus is on empowering wives with ‘small trade grants after wedding.

The wedding jamboree is said to be in line with Islamic teachings to prevent adultery.  The initiative, we are gleefully told, is “to promote stable family values, support widows and divorcees, and assist less privileged individuals who face financial obstacles to marriage”.  For this exercise, Kano State has budgeted N1.5bn this year. This is a historically and scientifically welcome development that will catapult Kano State to the highest level of economic, spiritual, cultural, educational and infrastructural development. We must give kudos to the Kano State government for being so prudent in funds and management and state priorities. Since this programme started, prostitution has disappeared from the spheres of Kano. Single motherhood is now a thing of the past.

Some ‘bad belle’ cynics who know that they don’t qualify for this laudable programme have opened their foul mouths to fault the state government. They complain that N1.5bn naira poured into the sacred institution of arranged marriages is a drain on the state coffers. They claim that ‘chastity test’ on women is a violation of privacy. Some also argue that these stage-managed marriages do not address the problem root problem of poverty. Cynics say that the whole idea is a PR stunt and that divorce rates among mass-wedded couples are higher ‘because compatibility wasn’t prioritized’ in the scheme. Furthermore, opponents of the jamboree ask why and how should mass weddings be the priority of a state government that has the highest out-of-school children in Nigeria!

The government people have countered that it has married 10000 plus couples since 2003 who couldn’t afford to marry. They also contend that it has reduced stigma for widows and divorcees.  They also point to the fact that “for the 2026 fiscal year, Kano State budgeted ₦432.4 billion for the education sector. This allocation represents 29.4 percent of the state’s total ₦1.477 trillion budget, surpassing the 26 percent global benchmark recommended by UNESCO.

By far the most damning criticism is from those fools who assert with credible statistics that Kano State has the highest number of out-of-school children. That approximately 989,234 kids are out of school. This they say is a breeding ground for future bandits. Only 9.5% of primary school pupils ‘demonstrate reading proficiency. It is further asserted ‘that only 11.2% of school pupils possess basic numeracy skills. The ugly criticism does not end there. They maliciously argue that although the state requires 71000 teachers, it currently has only 35000 thereby creating a dangerous deficit. Proponents argue that the government acted recently by hiring 13,000 teachers ‘to ease a student-to-teacher that can reach 100:1. Critics say that ‘education in Kano State faces a crisis marked by high out-of-school rates and low learning proficiencies.

Added to this is the fact that “Kano city has nearly 1,400 Qur’anic schools called “Tsangaya”, teaching about 150,000 boys aged between 5-14 years known as “Almajiris”. These are often children from rural areas who have left home to receive an Islamic education. Most of these non-formal schools are without sanitation and hygiene facilities which has led to high open defecation (OD) rates among the Almajiris.

As for me, it makes great sense to concentrate on mass weddings in a state where over 900,000 kids are out of school. Or where the Quranic schools host 150000 boys in an environment that is unsanitary. The drama of mass weddings shows that government is doing something about immorality and giving couples a chance to join the marriage industry.  Indeed, the government should expand the programme to include those who want a second or third or fourth wife to reduce the number of free women in the ancient city of Kano! Marriage is serious business. It builds the foundation of the family unit which we all agree needs to be solid. That is what in my considered view, Kano State is doing!

Hope O’Rukevbe EGHAGHA

Lagos