The Zamfara State Government has sponsored the marriage of 200 underprivileged women, including orphans and widows, as part of its 2025 social welfare initiatives coordinated by the Zakkat and Endowment Board.
The initiative, aimed at giving disadvantaged families a more stable start in life, is also part of a broader effort to reduce hardship and expand opportunities across the state.
The event took place during the Zakkat and Endowment Board’s final activities for the year, complementing other interventions such as business grants, debt relief, poultry training, and digital literacy support.
Speaking during the event, Zamfara’s First Lady, Huriyya Lawal, described the mass wedding as a deliberate step to uplift vulnerable groups.
She explained that her office had provided household essentials to help the couples begin their new lives with dignity and stability.
“For the fourth quarter alone, the board has rolled out multiple interventions. We also provided assistance to individuals with debt-related cases in Shari’ah courts and correctional centres, business grants of ₦50,000 for small-scale traders, and poultry starter packs for trainees beginning their own ventures,” she said, listing support that included furniture, bedding and a ₦200,000 dowry for each of the 200 brides,” Lawal stated.
She added that 10 orphans and children from low-income homes had received computer training and mini laptops to enhance their educational prospects.
Meanwhile, the executive Secretary of the Zakat and Endowment Board, Habib Balarabe, explained that the initiative was created to reduce poverty and discourage street begging.
“We designed this programme to help vulnerable families, especially orphans. Beyond the weddings, we are enabling them with business support so they can earn a living from home,” he said.
“We want to cut down poverty, and we want to change the reality where people roam around begging because they lack alternatives,” he added.
One of the brides, 17-year-old Zainab Mohammed, expressed gratitude to the state government while stating that she willingly chose marriage over returning to school, adding that the support made the transition easier for her. “I’m grateful to God and grateful for this opportunity. I prefer marriage to school,” she said.
