Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has given 10 Point of Sale (POS) machines and other items to the 100 brides from Mariga Local Council of Niger State, whose mass wedding is supported by the House of Assembly Speaker, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji.
The minister announced the empowerment scheme, yesterday, at the palace of the Emir of Kontagora, Mohammed Muazu, with the 100 brides in attendance.
Other empowerment items, according to the minister, include 350 bags of 10kg rice, 100 wrappers and a promise of a scholarship to the university level for those willing to go back to school.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, who was represented by her Special Assistant on the Private Sector, Adaji Usman, directed that bank accounts be opened for each of the 100 brides, through which a stipend would be sent to them for the next six months to enable them to settle down in their husband’s houses.
The minister expressed dismay over the escalation of the initial controversy surrounding the wedding, saying she did not intend to stop the ceremony but to be sure the girls were of marriageable age and not forced into marriage.
She promised that the girls would be closely monitored in their various matrimonial homes, so that the objectives of the empowerment scheme would not be defeated, adding: “The ministry will follow this up with skills acquisition on their trade of interest to further empower them.”
In his keynote, Sarkindaji revealed that the entire drama over his support for the mass wedding of mostly orphans was politically motivated.
“The minister, because of her passion for women and the girl child, quickly waded into the matter. Though she did not find out the true position of things, the media began to amplify the whole matter. But thank God, today, I have been vindicated; the minister and the whole world have seen that these girls are of marriageable age and nobody is forcing them into it.
“I equally commend the minister for the empowerment scheme for the girls. She has shown that she is a mother and really meant well for the girl child in this country.”
Emir Kontagora, Mohammed Muazu, appreciated God for the peaceful resolution of the matter that had unsettled the emirate in the last two weeks, saying the whole drama resulted from misunderstanding and lack of communication.
