A mass wedding that appeals to lovers and cheaters alike: 'One bride even made her brother appear as the groom'

 

A mass wedding that appeals to lovers and cheaters alike: 'One bride even made her brother appear as the groom'

 

The northern Nigerian city of Kano has been abuzz with colour and excitement over the past week as 1,500 couples have tied the knot in a mass wedding.

For days, the city’s streets have been abuzz with the activities of brides and their families, who are busy preparing their dresses and attending other organised events.

On Friday, brides in red hijabs and grooms in matching red caps and white robes went to the palace of the city’s traditional Muslim leader, the Emir of Kano, for the main ceremony, where they officially became husband and wife.

On Saturday, the wedding festivities concluded with a reception breakfast hosted by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, where he offered his prayers and best wishes to the newlyweds.

The Kano state government funded the project and spent 1.5 billion naira ($1 million) to help the couple. It provided a bride’s dowry and furniture for the couple’s first home.

The scheme is for low-income individuals who cannot afford the high financial costs associated with a wedding.

The annual event was started by the then governor in 2012, when 100 couples, mostly widows and divorcees, were married at the palace.

The mass weddings continued under subsequent governors, with the number of couples increasing each year as demand increased, including from Muslim families with multiple marriages.

The state government has spent about 1 million naira ($735; £544) on each participating couple.

According to Hasba, the assistance package given to a couple includes household items needed to set up a new home, such as beds, mattresses, sheets, pillows, furniture and food.

Each bride is given 100,000 naira as a dowry, while another 100,000 naira is provided as start-up capital to encourage small-scale businesses and enable the couple to become financially self-sufficient after marriage.

All prospective couples must undergo a full medical check-up, including HIV, hepatitis, pregnancy and genetic compatibility tests, before being approved to join the programme.

Aminuddin said some couples were disqualified when it was discovered that they had tampered with their medical test results.

In one case, a prospective bride posed as her brother as the groom in an attempt to take advantage of the scheme.

Local journalist Yusuf Ali Abdullahi, who has been reporting on these mass weddings for several years, says Nigeria’s weak economy this year is causing anxiety and worry among applicants.

“As we all know, marriage costs money and the country’s economy is not in a good shape at the moment,” he told the BBC.

“That is why some people are very eager to be on the list.”

He said one couple who were already married tried to pretend to be newlyweds, but were kicked out of the programme after being caught.

Other scammers also tried to take advantage of the pressure from those who wanted to be on the sponsored list. The list was released two weeks ago.

A Kano resident, who asked not to be named, said he was asked for a bribe to be included in the list.

“But in fairness to the organizers, I later found out that it was not the Hasba officials who asked me for money,” he said.

He and his fiancée were not selected for the wedding ceremony in August, but they say they will try again next year.

,

Aminuddin admitted that the Islamic police are aware of such allegations.

He said: “We have seen some people asking for money from others saying they can get their names on the list.”

But the Hisbah officer assured all future wedding hopefuls that they would not have to spend a single naira on the entire process.

“We want to tell the people of Kano that the entire process is free. From the selection to the medical check-ups, and the equipment that is provided for the couples, everything is provided by the government,” he said.

One of the successful grooms, 43-year-old clothes trader Rabi Yusuf, also agreed that the process of applying for the marriage was easy for him.

He told the BBC: “Nobody asked me for anything personally. I was told that the government would bear all the expenses.

 

His new wife is Aisha Awal. The two met when Aisha used to come to his shop regularly to buy clothes.

Yusuf, who already has five children from his first wife, said he was “very happy and eager to start a new life with his customer-turned-bride.”

Amina Al-Hassan, 24, echoed similar sentiments. She said she had no problems applying for marriage with Nora Abdullah, 40.

Their relationship was first arranged by their families in Dambata village, after which they went to Hasba.

“Everything has been free and I want to commend the Kano government for this project, because without it, many people could not afford the cost of a wedding due to rising inflation.”

The distribution of household goods began after the wedding invitation on Saturday.

However, it will take several days for the excitement in Kano to die down, while the newlyweds will be busy settling into their new homes.