The Kano State Government has allocated N1.5 billion for a mass wedding programme administered by the Hisbah Board, targeting 1,500 couples across the state. Commander General of the Hisbah Board Aminu Daurawa disclosed the initiative at a press conference in Kano on Monday, stating that each couple would receive N1 million to cover furniture, food items, and empowerment funds. Of that amount, N100,000 is designated for the bride to start a small-scale business, while the groom will receive N100,000 specifically to pay marriage dowry. The remaining N800,000 will be used to purchase a bed, mattress, bedsheet, pillows, and a cupboard for each couple.
Daurawa described the project as a fulfilment of a promise made by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who approved the funding for the 1,500 beneficiaries. He emphasized that the mass wedding aims to reduce social vices and support indigent couples who cannot afford marriage expenses. The Hisbah Board is currently overseeing preparations for the ceremony, which it will conduct. Additionally, the Board has instituted a rule requiring that no divorce be granted in any of the 1,500 marriages without its involvement. Daurawa also urged couples to confirm their genotypes before marriage, citing the risk of giving birth to children with sickle cell disease.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf funds N1.5 billion for 1,500 couples while imposing divorce restrictions through Hisbah, merging state resources with religious oversight. Each couple receives N1 million, yet the government ties marital autonomy to board approval for divorce. The programme links financial support to compliance with Hisbah's marital rules, creating a conditionality that extends beyond welfare into personal life. This sets a precedent where public funding enforces religious administrative control over private relationships.
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