Kano’s unique trend of divorcee marriages

In some cultures, marriage is recommended or compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity. When defined broadly, marriage is considered a cultural universal. A broad definition of marriage includes those that are monogamous, polygamous, and same-sex and temporary.Marriage types vary from culture to culture and can change over time. In Nigeria, marriage is broadly classified into […]

In some cultures, marriage is recommended or compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity. When defined broadly, marriage is considered a cultural universal. A broad definition of marriage includes those that are monogamous, polygamous, and same-sex and temporary.
Marriage types vary from culture to culture and can change over time. In Nigeria, marriage is broadly classified into customary, court, traditional as well as reli-gious marriages but in a general perspective, it is segmented into civil and religious marriages.
Before any organized marriage is done, it has to undergo four stages; introduction, family requirement, taking a date then the marriage. These stages differ as a result of numerous cultures across Nigeria. Therefore, others may choose to date, introduce, engage and then get married depending on the kind of tradition, religion or group.
While marriage brings lad and lass together, divorce separates them. This comes up as a result of personality clashes between the spouses or death among other problems that may bring the union to an end. As it is said in Hausa dialect that between tongue and teeth problem explodes which makes the teeth bite their partners, the teeth (or in Hausa, tsakanin harshe da hakori ma akan sami matsala).  In Nigeria, youths find it herculean to get colleens into their shade of marriage while others engage theirs easily due to their wealth or perhaps sponsors who have the alacrity to pull them out of bachelorhood or spinsterhood. Same is applied to divorcees or widows who have suffered from the above Hausa proverb.
In Kano, Northern Nigeria, it’s obvious that the gigantic number of widows, divorcees and youths whose rudder has been ruffled by grotesque poverty have gesticulated immensely as a result of the initiative of the Kano State Government in wiping the tears of the teeming youths as well as those in the hot soup of marital quagmires. So far, over one thousand divorcees, some widows and youths have enjoyed the Kano State government’s initiative under the state’s Hisba Command with not only paid dowries but also home furniture, foam and many other gifts were presented.
What inspires me most to pen down these words is the plan by Kano State Government to include the Christian folk among the more one thousand divorcees to be wedded as well as the clamouring of over eight thousand women in Zamfara State who have solicited the help of their government to copy from the robust projects of Kano State in order to get them out of the menace of being living without marriage.

Ibraheem Ayyuba Isah <[email protected]>;