Dantani Aruba. Credit: NewsCentralTV

A beneficiary of the Kano State Government-sponsored mass wedding, Dantani Aruba, has expressed happiness after taking another wife under the initiative.

Aruba, who spoke during the mass wedding ceremony on Saturday, said the initiative had allowed him to expand his family without bearing the financial burden usually associated with marriage.

In a now-trending video recorded by NewsCentralTV on Monday, he said, “I just married another wife, and I am happy that I have married another one. My wives are now three.”

Aruba was among the beneficiaries who tied the knot at the mass wedding organised by the Kano State Government as part of its intervention to assist people who may be unable to afford the cost of marriage.

The PUNCH reports that the state government under the leadership of Governor Yusuf Abba sponsored the wedding of 1,500 couples at a cost of N1.5bn.

The programme, coordinated by the Kano State Hisbah Board, targets people from low-income backgrounds, including widows, widowers, divorcees, spinsters and bachelors.

The government had earlier said the funds would cover dowry, empowerment support and household items for the beneficiaries.

According to the state government, each couple is entitled to support including dowry, furniture, food items and other materials to help them establish their homes.

The programme, popularly known as Auren Gata, was introduced in Kano in 2012 by the then Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, when 100 couples, mainly widows and divorcees, were married at the palace.

The initiative has continued under successive administrations, with the number of beneficiaries increasing over the years in response to growing demand.

The 2026 edition also accommodated beneficiaries in polygamous marriages, in line with Islamic practice.