Sokoto mass wedding: chairman threatens quit over candidate swap

The chairman, Sokoto state Mass Wedding, Bello Aliyu has threatened to step down over a planned replacement of the 100 already shortlisted candidates for the forthcoming mass wedding in the state. Addressing a press conference at the Sokoto Press Centre, Aliyu alleged the Ministry For Religious Affairs was planning to carry out the replacement. He […]

The chairman, Sokoto state Mass Wedding, Bello Aliyu has threatened to step down over a planned replacement of the 100 already shortlisted candidates for the forthcoming mass wedding in the state.

Addressing a press conference at the Sokoto Press Centre, Aliyu alleged the Ministry For Religious Affairs was planning to carry out the replacement.

He said the shortlisted candidates had voluntarily presented themselves for the wedding and that it would amount to a great injustice for them to be replaced now that arrangement had been  perfected for the wedding.

"The list of these candidates was what was presented to the Governor and he approved the sum of N32 million for their wedding, and to now think of replacing them with other candidates who have not even shown interest  amounts to a great injustice and breach of trust," he added.

He explained that the money was meant for the payment of dowry, buying of  seats and bedding materials for the bride as well as training them on handcraft and for  take-off capital.

He added that part of it as approved by the Governor was meant  for the renovation of their office and purchase of utility vehicle which he said would be used in monitoring the couples.

Aliyu said that his organization,  Islamic Marriage Mediation Organization had wanted to organize the wedding but for the intervention of the state government which found it worthy to  sponsor the exercise.

Aliyu also said that 30 out of the 250 mass marriage that was organized during the administration of Governor Aliyu Wamakko had crashed while the marriages were so far blessed with over 40 children.

He appealed to the couples to abide by the conditions given to them to report their unresolved differences to the committee for solutions.

Reacting to their allegation, the ministry which spoke through a member of the Mass Wedding Committee, Alhaji Aliyu Gadanga dismissed the allegation as baseless.