The Zamfara State Government has sponsored the mass wedding of 200 female orphans, widows and less-privileged women, as part of its 2025 social intervention initiatives under the Zakkat and Endowment Board.
The ceremony, held on Monday, November 24, also marked the conclusion of the board’s annual activities, which included business grants, debt relief assistance, poultry production training and computer literacy programmes for vulnerable households.
Speaking at the event, the First Lady of Zamfara State, Huriyya Dauda Lawal, said the mass wedding aligns with the government’s mission to uplift widows, orphans and disadvantaged women across the state.
She disclosed that her office provided additional support items to help the newly married couples begin their homes with dignity.
“For the 4th quarter of 2025, the Zakat Board has successfully delivered a series of life-changing interventions, which include support for the marriage of 200 female orphans through essential household items such as furniture, bedding, and a ₦200,000 dowry to enable them begin their marital lives with respect and comfort,” she said.
The First Lady explained that the interventions also covered settlement of debt-related cases in Shari’ah courts and correctional centres to give deserving individuals “a second chance to regain freedom and rebuild their lives honourably.”
She added that 200 small-scale traders, many of them widows, caregivers and orphans, received ₦50,000 business grants to strengthen their income.
Another 100 beneficiaries were trained in poultry production and equipped with starter packs, while 10 orphans and children from disadvantaged homes completed computer literacy training and received mini-computers.
“These achievements symbolise the vision we share for a more empowered, self-reliant and prosperous Zamfara State,” she said.
The Executive Secretary of the Zamfara State Zakat and Endowment Board, Habib Balarabe, said the mass wedding and other empowerment schemes were deliberately designed to support households that lack the resources to start a stable home.
“We organize this event specially for the less-privileged people in Zamfara State. We organised it to marry 200 orphans. We also organise another programme that will empower them while still in their houses, like giving them a token to start businesses,” he said.
According to him, the initiative aims to reduce poverty and curb street begging by enabling vulnerable families to become more self-sufficient.
“We are doing it to reduce poverty in the state, and we are also doing it to reduce the way people are going around begging,” he added.
One of the new brides, 17-year-old Zainab Mohammed, expressed gratitude to the state government for the support. Though not an orphan, she said she chose marriage over continuing school.
“Honestly, I thank Almighty God and Prophet Mohammed, may the peace of God be with him. I am very happy. I am not an orphan. Honestly, I prefer marriage to going to school,” she said.
Naijaonpoint understands that each newly married couple received furniture and a cash gift of ₦30,000, while beneficiaries of the poultry training programme also received starter packs to help them launch small-scale poultry ventures.
Photos from the ceremony were shared by the organisers.
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