Mr Sarkindaji announced his withdrawal from arrangements for the ceremony following the intervention of the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye
The controversy over a planned mass wedding in Niger State for girls who lost their parents to banditry has drawn mixed reactions from people in the North-central state.
The wedding plan was a personal initiative of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji.
Mr Sarkindaji announced last Friday the programme to marry off 100 girls who lost their parents in banditry attacks in Mariga Local Government Area.
He revealed the plan in Minna, the state capital, saying he would pay the dowries of the brides and all other expenses for the mass wedding.
He said the brides-to-be were chosen from a pool of 170 girls. The ceremony was set for May 24 in Bangi in Mariga LGA.
The head of the Hisbah Board of Kano State, Aminu Daurawa, was scheduled to preside at the event, which was to be attended by Governor Mohammed Bago and the Emir of Minna, Mohammed Barau.
However, Mr Sarkindaji announced his withdrawal from the ceremony following the intervention of the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye.
Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye had raised concerns about the legality of the wedding, demanding to know whether the girls have reached the age of consent and marriage, as defined by Nigerian laws, including the Child Rights Act.
The minister said she had filed a complaint to the police and sought a court order to halt the plan while investigations were being conducted on it.
"I have filed for an injunction to prevent him from doing whatever he intends to do on May 24th, until a thorough investigation is conducted on those girls, to determine whether they gave their consent, their ages, and who is marrying them," she said.
Speaker backtracks
Responding to the minister's position on Tuesday in Minna, the speaker said he was withdrawing from the ceremony. However, he said the preparations he made for the wedding, including paying bride prices on behalf of the grooms, remained in place but the decision on whether to proceed with the wedding or not would be taken by traditional and religious leaders in the area.
Mr Sarkindaji also defended the initiative, insisting that the minister had misunderstood it.
He said his intention was humanitarian and the planned marriages would not violate the Child Rights Act, contrary to the fear expressed by the minister.
On what inspired the initiative, Mr Sarkindaji said the girls, despite being ripe for marriage, do not have the means to wed because they are orphans or are from impoverished families.
He urged the minister to visit his constituency to better understand the situation of the girls and to see how she could assist them directly.
How we chose our grooms
Following the suspension of the ceremony, there have been mixed reactions in the state.
But the intended brides who spoke on a local television defended the programme.
Hussaina Abdullshi, who said she was overjoyed by the arrangement, said her intended marriage to her suitor was borne of love. "I am not forced to marry anyone. We had waited for this moment (which was delayed) for financial reasons."
Another girl, Habiba Mohammed, said she chose her partner. "I brought him for marriage; no one is forcing us on each other,"
she said.
A parent, Amina Umar, said she and her late husband had looked forward to their daughter's marriage. "We wanted to marry our daughter off years ago, but financial constraints stopped our plans," she said. She applauded Mr Sarkindaji's initiative.
The district head of Mariga, Shehu Mariga, said banditry had caused tragedy for families in the area, with many victims leaving behind vulnerable children.
"Some of the children they left behind are ready for marriage but have nobody to marry them off to their suitors," he said, explaining while he supported the initiative.
The traditional ruler said the decision by Mr Sarkindaji brought "a ray of hope" to the orphans.
"None of the girls is forced to marry a man; the marriage is with the consent of both the brides and the grooms," he stressed.
Initiative borne out of sympathy
Speaking on AIT News Hour on Sunday, the lawmaker said the initiative was not part of his constituency project.
"This initiative was borne out of sympathy. My local government is one of the most remote. We are so remote that farming and marriage are our people's primary concerns. About two or three months ago, I received a call from a woman who was crying. I assisted her and the marriage was performed. When I returned, I sat and relaxed, thinking, okay, if this woman is fortunate enough to have contact with me, there must be other families who shared the same problem and experiences as her. So I immediately formed a committee and directed it to communicate with the village and district heads so that we could inform those families that their children are outside."
Concerning the girls' ages, he stated, "My check is 18. There are some who are 22. There are some who are 23. There are even some who are 24."'
On what he made of the responses to the initiative, Mr Sarkindaji said: "Certainly, you see, now that I have started the initiative, a lot of philanthropists within the community, not necessarily from my local government, are offering their assistance; they said, 'look around; if there are more, we are ready to sponsor them'. So I believe it is a very good initiative that is welcomed by the state."
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Niger Residents React
Views expressed on the programme by residents of the state on social media were largely sympathetic. A Minna resident, Halima Sadiya Animals, said: "In the face of adversity, it is admirable to promote good morals through marriage."
She praised the governor's plan to provide each of the brides N100,000 to start a business.
Another resident of Minna, Gimba Evuti, said the girls were not being forced into marriage.
"It is a consent marriage that only requires financial assistance, and the speaker has offered to help. This is not the first time. It is similar to what the Kano government does in its efforts to promote marriage and discourage fornication.
"I believe the minister has only gotten in because of the name orphans, but the overall concept is not against our people's culture," Mr Gimba added.
Adamu Abubakar Kuta, also speaking in Minna, said the minister should have consulted the Speaker and local institutions before taking a position on the wedding plans.
It was not immediately clear whether the ceremony would go on as planned for next week as the state government was yet to speak in the controversy.
