Northern Government in Nigeria plays matchmaker to 1000 divorced and widowed women

- May 16, 2012

Men being screened as prospective grooms

A Northern Government in Nigeria plays matchmaker to 1000 divorced and widowed women by pairing them with grooms. The mass marriage was conducted under the Sharia law in Kano state, Nigeria.

For some months now, there have been a radio campaign calling for prospective suitors, the Hizba (an Islamic authority) and a local women's organisation screened the applicants, including testing for HIV, and then helped with the match-making. This is the first of a batch planned by religious authorities for Muslim women who have been divorced or widowed - a total of 1,000 couples are to be wed.

According to the BBC News:

The aim is to try to reduce a rising divorce rate in the state of Kano and provide the women with a stable home and financial and social security.

The wedding took place at the palace of a traditional ruler yesterday. The Emir of Kano and Bride prices normally given to the wife's family by the husband have been paid for by a local entrepreneur - and Kano state government paid for the bride's "kayan daki", a collection of brass and enamel bowls and decorative cups and saucers, which are a symbol of her married status.

Arranged marriage is common in northern parts of Nigeria, but correspondents say it was the women who had the final say in choosing their husbands.

Men who marry through this programme will not be allowed to divorce their wives without permission from the Hizba. The organisers say the day of the first wedding was selected to coincide with this year's anniversary of the UN's International Day of Families.