Photo: Leadership

Kanos wedding ceremony.

Kano — The Kano State Government yesterday conducted a mass wedding for 250 couples, the second in the series being coordinated by the State Hisbah Board, in an initiative aimed at addressing the high rate of divorce cases in the state. Yesterday's ceremony which held at the Government House in Kano came after the first mass wedding sponsored by the State government was held on May 15 at the Kano Central Mosque during which 100 couples were joined in wedlock.

Wife of the vice president, Hajiya Amina Namdi Sambo, who was the special guest at yesterday's mass wedding, donated 250 sewing machines, worth about N3.73 million to the 250 brides, describing the mass wedding initiative by the State government as a step in the right direction to tackle socio-economic challenges at the grassroots level.

The chief host and governor of the State, Mallam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who also presented gifts, comprising bed and beddings, bags of rice, cartons of spaghetti, as well as household items and N20,000 each as take-off capital to the brides, disclosed that the State Government spent not less than N46.6 million in purchasing the gifts.

Other gifts presented to the couples included three crates of eggs, two cell phones per couple, assorted fabrics and sundry items, which were donated by wealthy individuals and organisations. Kwankwaso noted that the State government pioneered the initiative of mass wedding in the country, as a measure to tackle the high rate of divorce cases in the state, adding that it is also aimed at addressing poverty among the people of Kano.

The Commander General of the Hisbah, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, disclosed that during the screening of the couples, seven prospective suitors were discovered to be HIV-positive, who would eventually be wedded with those of same status in a closed door wedding, just like the organisation did with 11 HIV- positive couples, discovered during the maiden mass wedding the state.