Nigeria's mass wedding - and how telling lovers from fraudsters is proving tricky
The scheme is for couples who cannot afford the significant financial costs associated with marriage.
In Kano, a northern Nigerian city, a flurry of colour and excitement has gripped the streets over the past week following the mass wedding of 1,500 couples. The vibrant celebration unfolded at the Emir's palace on Friday, where brides wearing red hijabs and grooms sporting matching red hats and white robes exchanged vows, solidifying their marital bonds before a grand wedding breakfast hosted by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Saturday.
The Kano state government chipped in with a 1.5bn naira ($1m; £815,000) budget, covering bride dowries and furnishing each couple with essential household items to kick-start their new life together.
The initiative targets low-income individuals who cannot afford the hefty financial burden of marriage, a scheme initiated in 2012 by the previous governor and expanded yearly as demand has grown. This year, 5,000 couples applied, and the Hisbah - Kano's Islamic police force - is tasked with vetting the hopefuls. The Hisbah's role is not for the faint-hearted, as Mujahid Aminudeen, the deputy commander-general, explains that it is challenging to distinguish genuine love matches from those motivated by the financial benefits.
The support given to each couple includes essential household goods, 100,000 naira in dowry, and 100,000 naira in start-up capital to encourage entrepreneurship and financial self-reliance.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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