A beneficiary of the Kano State Government’s mass wedding programme, Dantani Aruba, has expressed delight after marrying another wife under the initiative, saying his family has now grown to three wives.
Drivetvnews gathered that Aruba spoke during the mass wedding ceremony organised by the Kano State Government, where he explained that the programme had helped him expand his family without having to shoulder the financial demands normally associated with marriage.
In a video shared by NewsCentralTV, Aruba said, “I just married another wife, and I am happy that I have married another one. My wives are now three.”
He was among the beneficiaries who participated in the latest edition of the government-sponsored mass wedding programme, designed to support residents who may struggle to meet the financial requirements of marriage.
The Kano State Government, under Governor Abba Yusuf, sponsored the marriage of 1,500 couples at a reported cost of N1.5 billion.
The programme, coordinated by the Kano State Hisbah Board, is targeted at people from low-income backgrounds, including widows, widowers, divorcees, spinsters and bachelors.
The government said the financial package covered items such as dowry, furniture, food supplies and empowerment support to help the newly married couples establish their homes.
Known locally as Auren Gata, the initiative was introduced in Kano in 2012 by the administration of former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, when 100 couples, largely widows and divorcees, were married at the emir’s palace.
The programme has continued under successive administrations, with the number of beneficiaries increasing over the years as demand for the initiative grew.
The 2026 edition also included beneficiaries entering additional polygamous marriages, in accordance with Islamic practice.
The programme is part of the state government’s broader social intervention efforts aimed at reducing the financial barriers associated with marriage among residents with limited resources.
