Gumi defends public funding of mass wedding, says it’s legitimate under Shariah

Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has defended the Kano State Government’s decision to use public funds to facilitate the mass wedding of 1,500 widows and orphans, describing the intervention as legitimate under Shariah law.

Mr Gumi argued that government funding of marriages could be considered a legitimate component of responsible governance in a state governed by Islamic law.

The cleric stated this in a statement shared on his Facebook page on Thursday, while reacting to the controversy surrounding the mass wedding recently conducted by the administration of Governor Abba Yusuf.

According to him, government intervention in facilitating marriages could help curb prostitution, fornication, adultery and promiscuity, which are prohibited under Islamic law.

“In a Shariah law-driven state, where prostitution, fornication, adultery, and promiscuity are prohibited by both divine and state laws, using public funds to facilitate the marriage of women who are in excess of the available pool of eligible men, or of any young person in dire need of marriage, is a legitimate and responsible component of good governance,” he said.

The cleric’s comment followed criticism of the Kano State Government’s decision to commit public funds to the mass wedding programme.

The controversy intensified after Mr Yusuf disclosed at the ceremony last week that the state government had spent more than N1.5 billion on the programme.

The governor said the initiative was aimed at supporting vulnerable women and young people to establish families and improve their socioeconomic wellbeing.

The mass wedding involved 1,500 widows and orphans, according to the state government.

Mr Gumi, however, maintained that such expenditure should be viewed within the context of the government’s responsibility to address social challenges and promote lawful marriages.