Sokoto Governor Moves to Enforce Ban on Lavish Wedding Spending
Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu has announced plans to strictly enforce an existing law that prohibits excessive spending on pre-wedding activities, citing concerns that rising wedding costs are discouraging young people from getting married.
The governor made the declaration on Sunday during the inauguration of the remodelled Zawiyatu Sheikh Aliyu Bunza Jumu’at Mosque and Islamiyya School in Sokoto. He said the decision followed increasing reports of families placing heavy financial demands on intending couples, creating barriers to marriage and broader social challenges in the state.
Aliyu stated that the government would soon convene relevant stakeholders to reassess and strengthen the implementation of the law banning extravagant wedding practices. “We will soon bring together relevant stakeholders to further review the existing law banning extravagance in pre-wedding activities in the state,” according to the governor.
He expressed concern that many parents and guardians continue to disregard the law through lavish wedding preparations and warned that the administration would no longer tolerate such violations. The governor also linked the high cost of marriage preparations to rising immoral behaviour among youths unable to meet financial expectations.
Aliyu called on parents, guardians, Islamic scholars and traditional leaders to support the government in ensuring compliance with the law on weddings.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to advancing Islamic affairs in the state through mosque construction and renovation, the establishment of Islamiyya schools, and continuous support for Qur’anic teachers, Imams and Islamic preachers.
At the event, Sheikh Aminu Wali Ayu Zuru, who served as Special Guest of Honour, praised the governor’s investments in Islamic institutions. “I am overwhelmed by the number of Jumu’ah mosques Your Excellency has reconstructed and remodelled in the last two years,” according to him, as he offered prayers for the governor.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by the Wazirin Sokoto, Professor Sambo Wali Junaid, also commended the governor’s programmes on Islamic affairs. “Your policies and programmes on Islamic affairs speak volumes. You have followed the path of the founders of the Sokoto Caliphate in Islamic propagation. Please keep it up,” according to the Sultan’s representative.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Jabir Sani Mai Hulla, disclosed that additional Jumu’ah mosques are under construction across various locations in the state. He listed areas including Kebbe, Illela, Gwadabawa, Hajiya Halima Estate, Runjin Sambo, Gada, Minanata, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and the Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’an and General Studies.
Mai Hulla added that the state government, in partnership with a non-governmental organisation, plans to organise workshops for Islamic preachers alongside ongoing training programmes for Imams and Mu’azzins.
The ceremony concluded with Sheikh Aminu Wali Ayu Zuru commissioning the remodelled mosque and leading the two-rak‘ah Jumu’ah prayer.
