Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, an Islamic scholar, has rising in defense of Kano State Government uses of public funds to wed out hundreds of Women, arguing that such conduct is what Islam teaches.
He said, in active defense of the use of government funds to organise mass weddings in states where Shariah law is practised, “nothing wrong with that act, because in essence is even Godly”.
Gumi said such spending should not automatically be regarded as wasteful, arguing that governments have a responsibility to address social challenges created by laws prohibiting sexual relationships outside marriage.
The cleric spoke against the backdrop of the Kano State Government’s recent mass wedding involving 1,500 couples, even commending the State for rising with its available resources to do what is right.
Gumi in his verified Facebook account, said governments operating under Shariah should help people who cannot afford marriage, particularly young people in need of financial assistance to conduct such kind of mass marriages for them.
He argued that where prostitution, fornication, adultery and promiscuity are prohibited by both religious principles and state laws, government support for marriage could be regarded as a legitimate aspect of governance.
Gumi also argued that public funds could be used to assist women who face difficulties finding suitable spouses.
Critics of the programmes argue that public funds would be better spent on job creation, vocational training and other empowerment initiatives capable of helping young people become financially independent.
Some have also linked widespread poverty and unemployment among youths to broader social and security challenges in the region.
Gumi, however, maintains that supporting marriage within a Shariah-governed system is a legitimate responsibility of government and those who did it, do the right thing to their people.