Writing By Aminu Dalhatu; Editing By Godwin Duru
The Zamfara State Zakat and Endowment Board has sponsored the marriage of 200 female orphans, providing each bride with essential household items including furniture, bedding, other items and 200,000 naira dowry each to help them begin their marital lives with dignity and comfort.
Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Habib Balarabe Mohammed Zawiyya, announced this during the mass wedding ceremony and distribution of various support packages to the less privileged held in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.
The ceremony marked the final phase of the Board’s 2025 activities, which featured several intervention programmes such as the mass wedding for female orphans, disbursement of business grants, settlement of debts, graduation of beneficiaries from poultry production training, and completion of computer literacy programmes.
Alhaji Balarabe Zawiyya said the Board will continue to monitor the newly married couples to ensure they uphold marital rights and live peacefully.
He expressed delight that some beneficiaries of last year’s mass wedding attended this year’s event with their newborn babies, a development he described as encouraging.
Speaking at the event, the Ambassador of the Zakat and Endowment Board and First Lady of Zamfara State, Hajiya Huriyya Dauda Lawal, said the occasion demonstrated the state’s commitment to supporting vulnerable groups, including widows, orphans, and needy families.
She described the mass wedding as a significant milestone in uplifting orphans and other vulnerable groups, noting that her office also donated essential household items to further strengthen the intervention.
According to her, the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal continues to prioritize welfare programmes that reduce hardship and improve the lives of citizens.
She commended the Zakat Board for its consistent and meaningful efforts in fulfilling its mandate.
Hajiya Huriyya outlined the Board’s major achievements, which included the settlement of debt-related cases across Shari’ah Courts and Correctional Centres, giving many individuals a second chance at freedom and dignified living.
Other interventions include business grants of ₦50,000 each to 200 small-scale traders mainly orphans, widows and caregivers to boost their livelihoods and foster financial independence.
Additionally, 100 individuals received training in poultry production, each to be provided with a starter pack to establish their own poultry businesses.
Hajiya Huriyya Dauda Lawal further revealed that, 10 orphans and children from less privileged homes completed computer literacy training and each received a mini computer to enhance their learning and future opportunities.
The First Lady commended the Chairman of the Zakat Board, Sheikh Ahmad Ibn Umar Kanoma; the Executive Secretary, Dr. Habib Balarabe Muhammad; and all Board members and staff for their dedication, accountability, and hard work, which she said are evident in the successes being celebrated.
Hajiya Huriyya congratulated the newly married couples and prayed for their marriages to be blessed with love, unity, and peace and also encouraged beneficiaries of debt settlement, training programmes, and business support to use the intervention wisely and inspire others.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Zakat Board, Sheikh Umar Kanoma, served as the representative (guardian) of the grooms, while His Royal Highness, the Emir of Anka, served as the guardian of the brides.
Imam Isa Sherehu offered the supplication and officiated the marriage rites.
Also speaking, Malam Yakubu Gusau disclosed that all the couples underwent over five medical tests to assess their health conditions.
He added that 24 individuals were found with certain health issues and were immediately placed on appropriate medication.
Dr. Atiku Zawiyya and Sheikh Aliyu Maikano advised the couples on the marriage rites and the imperative of living in peace with one another.
The ceremony was attended by traditional rulers, Islamic Scholars, family members, friends and well-wishers among others.
COV/AMINU DALHATU
