Zamfara lawmaker marries off 105 orphans in mass wedding
The lawmaker representing Maru/Bungudu Federal Constituency in Zamfara State, Abdulmalik Zubairu, has married off 105 orphans whose parents were killed by armed bandits in Zamfara State.
The occasion, which took place on Saturday in Bungudu town, the headquarters of Bungudu Local Government Area of the state, was attended by prominent personalities both within and outside the state.
Mass weddings are a common tradition in Northern Nigeria, aimed at supporting parents who cannot afford to marry out their daughters due to economic hardship. However, in recent times, the tradition has faced a lot of criticisms. Despite the recent criticism, Zubairu has sponsored the wedding of the orphans.
Both the brides and the grooms were gorgeously dressed during the event, which attracted the attention of thousands of people.
Aisha, a fifteen-year-old orphan from Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, told Channels Television that she was not forced to marry her lover. The same sentiment was shared by Halima, another orphan from the same local government.
“It is my decision, no one forced me to get married. I pray for all of us that are given this opportunity and those that are not privileged. My advice is for them to try and get married,” Aisha said.
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Halima added, “It is my choice, we appreciate this gesture and may Almighty God reward him abundantly.”
Also speaking with Channels Television, Jamilu Adamu, a 20-year-old groom, said he had a choice of selecting his bride.
“I selected my wife based on my choice. I will do justice to her because I chose her by myself as a bride, because we love each other,” Adamu said.
Speaking during the occasion, Hon Zubairu said he was aware of the hardship being experienced by those whose parents were killed by bandits.
He said he has also provided scholarships for over 5,000 students within the last year as a federal lawmaker representing his constituency.
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“My constituents have so many challenges, economically and insecurity, but with the help of Almighty God, we have done some certain projects to improve the welfare of our teeming constituents,” Zubairu stated.
“We have built schools, hospitals and we have done our best in terms of students by giving more than 5,000 students scholarships within one year,” he added.
“Today, we are witnessing the marriage of 105 girls, almost all of whom have either lost their father or mother. So, by our tradition and our religious ethics, we know the responsibilities when it comes to the marriage issue that the parent had to undergo. So, we intervened and provided items to assist these couples.”
The married couples were provided with beds and mattresses by the lawmaker, in addition to N10.5 million paid as dowry for the 105 brides.
Honourable Zubairu has also provided the sum of N100,000 for each of the 105 grooms and N50,000 to each of the 105 brides to enable them to start businesses of their choice.
Proofreading, editing by Sakinat Musa Abubakar and Maryam Sulaiman, Journalist and Editor at Neptune Prime.
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