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The event took place at the Emir of Kano’s palace on Friday with a follow-up breakfast the next day hosted by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who endorsed the unions of the low-income participants. Initiated in 2012 with 100 couples primarily consisting of widows and divorcees, the programme has grown substantially, drawing 5,000 applications for this year’s edition, according to the state government. The total cost reached 1.5 billion naira, providing comprehensive support packages valued at approximately 1 million naira for each couple.
Participants received dowries of 100,000 naira per bride, an additional 100,000 naira in startup capital for entrepreneurial activities and essential household items including beds, mattresses and furniture, BBC News reported. Comprehensive medical screenings for conditions such as HIV, hepatitis and genotype compatibility formed a key part of the approval process alongside vetting by the Hisbah, Kano’s Islamic police. This rigorous procedure sought to confirm the legitimacy of each relationship before granting access to the state-funded benefits.
Mujahid Aminudeen, the deputy commander-general of the Hisbah, acknowledged the complexity involved in the selection, stating, “Whenever we find out that there’s something dubious or fishy about a couple, we disqualify them.” He explained that certain applicants went to considerable lengths to appear as genuine pairs in pursuit of the material rewards on offer. Local journalist Yusuf Ali Abdallah told BBC News that Nigeria’s difficult economic conditions were heightening desperation among potential beneficiaries this year.
Documented irregularities included one instance where a woman presented her brother as her intended groom and another where an already married couple posed as first-time applicants, both of which resulted in disqualification. The beneficiary list, released publicly two weeks before the ceremony, prompted reports of attempted bribes from individuals falsely claiming affiliation with the Hisbah, according to accounts gathered by the BBC. In July, the Hisbah Board had issued public warnings against paying any fees for inclusion in the programme, as noted in local social media updates.
Kano, described by Leadership.ng as Nigeria’s most populous state with a projected population of about 16 million, has seen the programme expand to include polygamous marriages in response to sustained demand. Comparable mass wedding initiatives have appeared in other northern states, such as Kebbi where the governor supported unions for both Muslim and Christian couples in a bid to reduce wedding-related debt, a Christian Daily report indicated. These schemes typically target barriers to marriage stemming from high living costs across the region.
One groom, Rabiu Yusuf, a 43-year-old clothes trader, confirmed that his application proceeded without any requests for payment and that he met his new wife Aisha Auwal through her visits to his shop. Amina Alhassan, aged 24, described her arranged marriage to Nura Abdullahi as free of complications thanks to the government scheme, which she credited with enabling unions that would otherwise prove unaffordable. Following the celebrations, the newlyweds began receiving their allocated goods and settling into their new homes.
