“Dowries Will Be Paid in Full”: Niger Speaker To Marry Off 100 Female Orphans, Gives Reason
- Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkindaji has taken a bold step to assist females who are victims of banditry and terrorism in Niger state
- The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly announced that he would pay the dowries of 100 orphans who will wed their lover this month (May) in his constituency
- Sarkindaji confirmed this to journalists in Minna, the state capital on Friday, May 10 and asured he has procured all necessary materials for the mass marriage ceremony
Fox Nigeria journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, has announced plans to marry off 100 female orphans who lost their parents in banditry attacks in the Mariga Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.
Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, Niger Speaker, said the marriages of the 100 female orphans is his empowerment project.
Photo credit: Abdulmalik Sarkindaji
100 ladies orphaned by banditry
As reported by The Punch, the Speaker, made this known to journalists in Minna, the state capital on Friday, May 10, 2024.
As reported by The Nation, Sarkindaji, a representative of Mariga constituency at the Assembly, promised to pay their bride price and claimed to have procured all necessary materials for the mass marriage ceremony.
Sarkindaji explain how the ladies were selected
He noted that their comfort in their matrimonial homes has been taken care of like any other child who gets married in the Islamic way.
The Speaker, however, did not disclose the age range of the girls but stated that the girls who would be married off were carefully selected from the 170 girls whose names were submitted.
Sarkindaji said it is an empowerment project
Speaking to newsmen in Minna, Sarkindaji said the project would be part of his constituency empowerment project, adding that it was being done with the best of intentions and would serve as a way of ameliorating the sufferings of the poor.
He also said the Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago and the Emir of Kontagora Alhaji Mohammed Barau would serve as guardians to the female orphans who would be married off, SaharaReporters confirmed.
Kwankwaso, Yusuf wed 1,700 couples in Kano
In a piece of related news, Fox Nigeria reported that the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate during the February 2023 election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, joined 1,700 couples at a state-sponsored mass wedding.
Kwankwaso was the representative of the grooms, while Governor Yusuf was the representative (Wali) of the brides.
Kwankwaso counselled the couples who participated in the mass wedding. He urged them not to check their spouses’ phones, which could help prevent marriages from falling apart.
Source: Fox Nigeria
