₦1.5bn Mass Wedding Spending Good Governance — Gumi

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has defended the use of public funds to facilitate marriages in states operating under Shariah law, describing the intervention as a legitimate part of responsible governance.

Gumi, in a statement shared on Facebook on Thursday, argued that governments have a responsibility to support people in need of marriage in societies where prostitution, fornication, adultery and promiscuity are prohibited by both religious and state laws.

“In a Shariah law-driven state, where prostitution, fornication, adultery, and promiscuity are prohibited by both divine and state laws, using public funds to facilitate the marriage of women who are in excess of the available pool of eligible men, or of any young person in dire need of marriage, is a legitimate and responsible component of good governance,” he said.

His comments came after the Kano State Government conducted a mass wedding for 1,500 couples under its ‘Auren Gata’ initiative.

The couples were joined in marriage at a ceremony organised by the Kano State Hisbah Board as part of the government’s social intervention programme.

The initiative is aimed at supporting vulnerable couples, reducing the financial burden of marriage and providing economic and household support to help them begin married life