Who be di beneficiaries as Kano spend 1.5 billion naira on mass wedding for Muslims and Christians

Kano State govment on Friday, 7 August, go join 3,000 men and women for marriage under one mass wedding programme wey di state govment dey organise from time to time.

Di state govment don finalise plans to spend 1.5 billion naira on one mass wedding for 1,500 couples.

Part of di money wey di govment set aside go take buy furniture for di brides and also give dem business capital. Di govment go also provide money wey go help di grooms pay dia brides dowries.

Kano State govment mass wedding na govment-sponsored programme wey Kano State Hisbah Board dey organise to help low-income residents, widows and divorcees wit marriage costs, reduce children born outside marriage and support family stability.

Dis no be di first time wey di state dey organise mass wedding. Di programme bicom popular during Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso administration and successive govments don kontinu am.

Recently, govments for states like Katsina and Kebbi don also organise similar mass weddings for low-income pipo.

When BBC visit di Hisbah office for Kano, we see say di office full of people, and many young men and women, wey dis go be dia first marriage, don secure place for dis year's mass wedding. E no be like before when some pipo dey see mass wedding as sometin wey bring shame.

When BBC tok wit some of dem, dem express dia happiness say dem get opportunity to join di Kano State Govment programme.

Habila Ya'u na one of di pipo wey secure place for dis year's mass wedding wey di government organise. E tok say e dey very happy to get di opportunity and e pray make di marriage last forever.

"I get into dis programme afta I fill di form and later dem screen me. As I dey now, I don come collect my clothes wey I go sew for Friday when dem go join us for marriage.

"I happy well-well for dis opportunity wey Kano State Govment give me. I pray make my wife and I enjoy dis marriage forever," Mr Ya'u tok.

Anoda groom, Bello Magaji Rogo, wey dis go be im second marriage, tok say e enter di mass wedding through im landlord afta dem announce say Kano State Govment go organise di programme.

According to am, "Actually I don dey plan to marry another wife, but I no plan to do am now. But when I see dis opportunity, I enter bicos I already get di woman wey I wan marry.

"If no be for dis mass wedding programme, I no for marry now. So I pray make God bless dis marriage and di woman wey I wan marry," di groom tok.

On di side of di brides, Hajiya Sadiya Abubakar, wey get two daughters, also join dis year's programme. She tok say before dem announce di programme, she no plan to marry soon until afta her daughters marry first. But sake of dis opportunity, she change her mind.

"Dis na my second marriage bicos since my husband die, I never marry again.

"To tell di truth, if no be dis mass wedding, I no for marry now until afta I marry off my daughters afta Maulud celebration. But when I see dis opportunity, God make me marry before my daughters."

"Before di marriage, I already get one suitor wey dey ask to marry me. When we see di opportunity, we just fill di form," she tok.

'We receive blessings through di mass wedding' - 2023 couples

BBC also tok wit some couples wey benefit from di 2023 mass wedding, and dem share dia happiness and how di programme help dem.

Ruqayya Alhassan Abdullahi na one of di beneficiaries of di 2023 programme wey Kano State Govment organise.

"Bfor di marriage, I already get one suitor wey dey ask to marry me. When we see di opportunity, we just fill di form," she tok.

She tok say she no get anything to tok apart from to thank God because at dis time, things no easy, so dem no even plan marriage bicos of di economic situation.

She tok say she don receive blessing through di marriage because she get one two-year-old pikin and she also dey pregnant.

She tok say, "Afta my first marriage end, I dey stay for house. When Abba Kabir Yusuf bicom govnor, e launch di programme bicos na one of di promises wey e make to bring back mass wedding.

"When dem release di forms, I fill one immediately. I already get person wey I dey wit, but tins never strong well. I tell am and e agree," Mrs Abdullahi tok.

Zubairu Abdu na also one of di grooms wey marry for 2023. Dis na im second marriage and e benefit from di second mass wedding programme wey di govment organise.

"Before dis programme start, I already dey with di woman wey I marry. We plan say we go marry much later bicos na only plans we get. But when di mass wedding opportunity come, we just join am immediately," Abdu tok.

E add say, "I get many benefits from di marriage. Marriage sef get blessing, and now I get one son wey we born, Yusuf. Dis marriage also open more opportunities for me financially."

According to Mr Zubairu, mass wedding don now bicom more accepted unlike bifor when pipo no value am and women dey shy to join di programme.

"Bifor, pipo dey see am like disgrace to join dis marriage, but if you look dis year, I fit tell you say young pipo plenty pass for di programme."

Mr Abdu tok say dis na di challenge wey dem face bifor pipo begin understand di programme.

Wetin be mass wedding and who fit benefit?

Dis kain Mass wedding get many questions wey pipo never understand, especially concerning how di programme dey work, di age requirements for women and wetin go happun if di marriage later come scatter.

For one interview wit BBC News Pidgin, Deputy Commander Sheikh Dr Mujahideen Aminuddeen explain why Kano State Govment dey organise mass weddings and how pipo fit join.

According to am, di mass wedding programme na to help widows, divorcees and single pipo marry, reduce high divorce rates and provide social support. Di govment dey cover dowry, furniture and food items.

"Dis marriage programme na for couples wey already love each oda afta di groom don prepare, but di bride's family no get money to buy wedding items. Na dem go come by dia selves through filling di forms wey dem collect from dia local govment," e tok.

According to am, every girl wey dem go accept must don reach marriage age, and di groom too must get work or business.

When BBC ask am wetin go happun if di marriage later scatter and who go own di furniture wey Kano State Govment provide, e tok say:

"Couples no fit divorce until dem come Hisbah make we investigate wetin dey happun inside di marriage, and we go first check weda di marriage fit still work.

"If di marriage finally end, di furniture wey govment give during di wedding go remain for di woman bicos na her di govnor give am, no be di husband," Aminuddeen tok.

For one video wey Hisbah Commander Sheikh Aminu Daurawa release, e tok say dem don prepare ten yards of white shadda and caps for di men to wear on di wedding day. Dem also prepare Ankara materials for di women to sew.

"Dem don share shadda and caps to di approved grooms, while di brides receive Ankara materials and hijabs wey dem go wear on di wedding day," Daurawa tok.

On anoda hand, Dr Bashir, director of di agency wey conduct medical screening for di couples through tests for infectious diseases, tok say dem screen all di couples wey join di mass wedding across di 44 local govments of Kano State.

E make dis statement while presenting di certificates to Hisbah Commander Sheikh Daurawa.

"We screen all di couples wey go join dis mass wedding across all 44 local governments of Kano.

"We conduct HIV, pregnancy, Hepatitis B and C tests, and every oda test we believe say couples need bifor marriage."

Finally, e tok say some couples no pass di medical screening stage, and dat na one of di reasons why dem experience some delay for dia work.

Requirements

According to Dr Aminuddeen, na dis mandatory steps people must follow to participate for Kano Mass Wedding: