The Sokoto state government appears to be preoccupied with the idea of regulating bride prices and other marital relationship-related activities. The available record reveals that the Bafarawa administration first played with the idea of the government interfering in what is, for all intents and purposes, a private affair between two families by enacting legislation to that effect. Since then, the proposal has continued to pique the interest of parliamentarians, who have also tinkered with it from time to time.
The law was first passed in 1992 and reviewed in 1996. It is titled “Regulation and control of expenses of marriages, naming and circumcision ceremonies, and for purposes connected therewith.” It was examined in 2022 with the purpose of revising and/or amending it. A final draught is already in the hands of the state governor.
According to the proponents of the measure aiming to reform this law, it is intended to reduce extravagances in the organization of the mentioned ceremonies. It is also ostensibly in reaction to a number of public criticisms, such as those about the high expense of marriages.
According to politicians, the cost has become a barrier to young people marrying. Worse, it is a source of early crisis-ridden marriages, which frequently collapse. Such justifications are not limited to Sokoto state. In certain countries, getting married is a capital project that necessitates a significant investment. Still, we believe that the matter should be limited to the families involved.
Attempting to regulate problems of the heart and anything related to it, in our opinion, is fruitless. A suitor who is sincerely in love with his bride is unconcerned about the cost of winning her love. He can discuss matters with his future in-laws without some busybody legislator intervening needlessly.
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Not only young people marry in the culture of the location in issue. Acquiring many wives has become a popular activity among the political elite, who like replacing the elderly with the young to suit their newly acquired position or to satisfy their overflowing libido. Perhaps they want it at a lower cost.
Already, several elders and clerics have informed the government that such meddling in a topic that is strictly private violates Shari’ah law, which encourages members of the faith to marry someone who matches their social status.
As a newspaper, we are astounded that parliamentarians are only responding to public outcry on the matter of marriage customs. As politicians, they are supposed to listen to the cries of the people on issues concerning their well-being.
For example, why are lawmakers not limiting the cost of living in order to bring it down to manageable levels? Why aren’t they enacting legislation to raise their wages and allowances to levels that reflect the polity’s endemic inequities? Why are lawmakers not passing legislation to prevent treasury plundering and extravagant exit benefits?
The dilemma is that the political class or governing elite are contributing to the problem of youth poverty and inability to marriage. How can a young person marry if he cannot find work, no matter how menial, years after graduating from high school? Or keep a marriage together?
In our opinion, the barrier that young people encounter when attempting to start a family is more than just the bride price, as crucial as that is. The main impediment is that the socioeconomic circumstances created by poor governance and corruption in high places consume resources that could have been used to create jobs and other economic-boosting activities that would have prepared young people to enter the business of marriage. These, in our judgment, are the most serious dangers to the concept of marriage. And it is to this end that lawmakers should concentrate their legislative time.
On this page, we have highlighted the exorbitant costs of politics and elections. We have also raised concern about politicians’ proclivity to view politics as a business, with the goal of recouping costs as soon as they take power. Nobody regulates them since they pertain to collective interests. The lawmakers find no use in analyzing the implications of such wrongdoing on the welfare of the people whose groans and laments are ignored.
There is no time to think about what it costs to have a bride in locations where there is strong government and the wellbeing of the people is the first focus of those in political power. It is private and should remain so.
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In our perspective, the youth should have the option of marrying without breaking the bank. We also applaud the lawmakers’ attention to detail. At the very least, they are responding to public complaints for the first time. However, it is important to note that a young man with means of income in a thriving economy is unconcerned about the expense of winning his affection. It should not disturb the legislators either.
