Nigerian state holds mass weddings for 1,800 couples

KANO, Nigeria: Textile trader Yusuf Abdullahi admitted he could not afford to marry despite being 30 years old until Nigeria´s northern Kano state-financed and staged mass weddings for 1,800 couples. Customary gifts for newlyweds were also provided by the state as part of efforts to enable the poorest to get married.

Abdullahi was one of the grooms dressed in a traditional white robe and red cap who took advantage of the weekend ceremonies. “Life is really tough, this is why I could not get married, though I wanted to, until this time,” Abdullahi told AFP inside Kano´s central mosque where he and scores of other grooms waited for the religious service on Friday. The brides wore a bright red veil over a long robe. The mass wedding services also took place in mosques across the state.

“I pray my marriage becomes the key to my prosperity,” Abdullahi said. Rising prices for fuel, housing, transport and food have driven some Nigerians, most of whom live on less than $2 (1.90 euros) per day, further into poverty.