Kano Gov., Abba Yusuf approves N854m for mass wedding

The Kano state governor, Abba Yusuf Kabir, on Thursday approved a total of N854 million for a mass wedding among vulnerable persons in the state.

The state governor, while disclosing this via social media, said the approval was part of the decisions made during the state executive council meeting on Wednesday.

“Also from yesterday’s meeting. The Kano State Executive Council has approved the release of 854 million Naira for the first phase of the Auren Zaurawa Mass Wedding Initiative”, he said.

It would be recalled that the state Hisbah board, through its commandant, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, had recently said that preparations were in top gear to conduct a mass wedding for 1,020 couples that declared interest across the state, adding that the mass wedding was aimed at helping intending couples who cannot get married due to hardships, as they cannot afford to pay for the marital expenses.

He said, “This time around, the couples must pass through four different tests: HIV test, pregnancy test, genotype and drugs. We cannot consider anybody who didn’t pass these tests. We are doing this to assist the couples to live peacefully and have a happy marriage. But if someone is into drugs or has a particular illness, there is a problem.”

He added that 20 couples will be selected from each of the 44 LGAs of the state and that the board will select the remaining 120 couples.

The Informant247 learned that this is not the first time the state government has organised mass weddings for those who do not have the means, with the last time being in 2019 when the administration of former governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje spent N30 million to organise mass weddings for 1,500 persons.