By Bashir Bello

The Kano State Government on Friday solemnised the marriages of 1,500 couples under its mass wedding programme, with one of the beneficiaries being Haruna Bashir, the widower whose wife and six children were brutally murdered earlier this year.

In a gesture that drew widespread emotion, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf announced a special support package for Bashir, including a house in Amana City, sponsorship for Hajj and Umrah, and a new wife, Rahinatu Jamilu-Yunusa, as part of efforts to help him rebuild his life after the devastating tragedy.

The symbolic wedding ceremony was held at the Emir’s Palace in Kano, with the Chief Imam of Kano, Prof. Sani Zahradeen, officiating.

Yusuf stood in as the representative of the grooms, while the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, represented the brides.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the event marked the second mass wedding organised under the Yusuf administration, with similar ceremonies taking place simultaneously across the state’s 44 local government areas.

Commander-General of the Kano Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim-Daurawa, said Bashir had struggled emotionally since losing his family, adding that the governor’s intervention had begun restoring hope to the grieving widower.

“Since the tragic incident, he hardly interacted with people. Today, he is gradually returning to normal life,” Ibrahim-Daurawa said.

Yusuf described the initiative as a strategic social intervention aimed at strengthening family values, reducing the financial burden of marriage and supporting vulnerable residents in line with Islamic teachings and Kano’s cultural traditions.

He said the programme reflects his administration’s commitment to promoting stable homes and giving young couples the opportunity to begin married life with dignity.

Delivering the Friday sermon, Emir Sanusi urged the newlyweds to build their marriages on faith, patience, mutual respect and compassion, stressing that peaceful families remain the foundation of a stable and prosperous society.

The event also featured marriage counselling sessions by prominent Islamic scholars, who delivered lectures on the purpose of marriage, the rights and responsibilities of spouses, and practical approaches to resolving marital conflicts in accordance with Islamic principles.

To support the newly married couples, the state government announced that each bride would receive ₦200,000 to cover her dowry and provide start-up capital for a small business. They were also presented with household essentials, including beds, mattresses, blankets, bed sheets and centre rugs to help them establish their new homes.

The mass wedding programme forms part of Kano State’s broader social welfare initiatives designed to strengthen families, promote moral values and provide economic support to low-income households.