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The Kano State government has sponsored the weddings of 1,500 couples in a mass ceremony intended to reduce the financial obstacles to marriage for low-income residents, officials said.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf organised the two-day event, which marked the second mass wedding held under his administration, according to state authorities.
“Marriage is an act of ibadah and should be conducted in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW),” Yusuf said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sunusi Dawakin Tofa.
The governor urged the couples to respect one another and uphold fairness in their homes, stressing that peaceful coexistence was essential to building strong families.
“I urge you to respect one another, uphold justice and fairness in your homes, and ensure peaceful coexistence as you begin this new chapter of your lives,” he said.
Each bride received a dowry of 200,000 naira ($147) from the government, along with funding to launch small businesses. The newlyweds were also provided with beds, mattresses and blankets, officials said.
“The whole idea for the marriage is to help our families and we husbands who are not financially stable to marry; that’s why the government is helping us get married,” groom Abubakar Aliyu Musa told the Associated Press.
Yusuf called the initiative a “bold social intervention” intended to restore hope and promote dignified family life in the state.
The programme was designed both to assist women who might otherwise be unable to afford marriage and to strengthen family bonds, the governor said in a statement.
“The program was designed not only to assist women who might otherwise struggle to afford marriage, but also to strengthen families and promote social stability in the state,” he said.
All couples underwent screening and counselling before the wedding, the government said.
Among those taking part was Haruna Bashir, who lost his wife and six children in an attack earlier this year.
A government representative said the wedding represented a step toward Bashir returning to normal life after isolating himself following the tragedy.
The Kano State mass wedding is taking place, with grooms gathered and waiting for the commencement of prayers before the matrimony ceremony begins. pic.twitter.com/ms02rzvFsQ
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) August 7, 2026
“Ever since the incident that led to the death of his wife and six children, he doesn’t talk to anyone. But with this development, he is now bouncing back to normal life,” the Commander-General of the Kano Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim-Daurawa, said.
“The second wedding featured Saminu Tijjani-Isa as the groom, with his bride A’isha Muazu-Muhammad, and the third had Khalifa Muhammad-Inuwa as the groom with Maimuna Muhammad-Mu’azu as the bride.”
The mass event comes as northern Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread insecurity, including attacks by armed groups and mass abductions of civilians.
