The story of terror-troubled Zamfara State is not all about bandits sacking communities and killing frightening numbers of their residents and, consequently, destroying the enviable economy of the ‘Farming-Is-Our-Pride’ state.
It is also about the state government and its elected and appointed public servants rebuilding communities with reach-out and other relevant intervention programmes aimed at addressing the core of the socioeconomic challenges and needs of a population traumatized by terror.
Such community reach-out and intervention programmes most significantly comprise mass weddings for spinsters and divorcees to squeeze out of the streets the rising population of unmarried women substantially worsening the humanitarian crisis of an anguishing state.
Closely following this is the distribution of commercial transport vehicles and starter packs, and the disbursement of startup capitals to the exploding population of youths and women to boost self-employment and trading cum commercial activities to breathe life into the state’s economy anguishing under the perilous activities of terrorists.
Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle has initiated and implemented umpteen of such intervention programmes over the years, encouraging his aides and elected politicians across the state to follow suit.
Consequently, such aides and politicians now seem in a rat race of sorts to outdo and outshine each other in a rising community reachout trend to deliver the dividends of democratic governance to the people according to emerging needs.
Taking a cue from a governor they hail as compassionate and committed to pulling the state out of its persistent predicament, each of the aides and elected persons now bathe their respective communities with such reachout programmes with relish.
Most recently, for instance, in a bid to reduce the number of unmarried women in the state, the state’s Commissioner of Tourism and Hotels Management, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi Doctor (Makaman Tsafe), organized what his community described as ‘historic mass wedding,’ in which he married off a second batch of 40 of such women at the palace of ‘Yandoton Tsafe, Tsafe Local Government Area.
The entire Tsafe community was agog with festivities as a huge crowd gathered to witness the ceremony.
In line with Islamic tradition, the grooms and their accredited representatives were present at the palace in a ceremony that was solemnized by the Chief Imam of Tsafe, Muhammad Kabir Danbawa.
By: Umar Isa
“We are grateful to Allah (s.w.t) that we have realized another Marriage of 40 women as part of the state government’s commitment to mitigate the social malaise we are facing in our society,” the Chief Imam said after the wedding rituals.
It was a most-elating day for the 40 couples as the former Zamfara State Deputy Governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala Muhammad Liman, gifted one wrapper to each of them.
The brides were represented by the Emir of ‘Yandoton Tsafe, Alhaji Muhammad Bawa Tsafe, and the grooms by Governor Bello Matawallen, represented by the Speaker State House of Assembly, Rt honorable Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya.
In the part of the effort of Makaman Tsafe to provide the brides with stable homes, he donated a set of furniture, bed, mattress, kitchen utensils, bag of rice and bag of maize to each couple after sponsoring the payment of a dowry of N30,00 on each of the bride.
Prior to this marriage, according to the committee chairman, Malam Buhari Sani Liman Kaura, all the necessary steps regarding the health status of the grooms were ascertained in line with laid-down procedure of the committee.
The Emir of Tsafe ‘Yandoton Tsafe, Alhaji Muhammad Bawa Tsafe, was the Father of the Day, in an expansive ceremony attended by Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle, Honourary Adviser to Governor Bello Matawalle Dr Sani Abdullahi Wamban Shinkafi, the Chairman of Tsafe Local Government, Aminu Mudi Tsafe, the State Commissioner for Security, DIG Mamman Tsafe, Hon. Ibrahim Isah Mayana and notable Islamic clerics in the state and beyond who witnessed the mass wedding wholly bankrolled by Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi Doctor.
The ceremony was as much for politicians and unemployed youths and women as it was for the 40 newly-wedded couples.
Alhaji Doctor, who is praised for building a huge Mosque for his ward at ‘Yandoto, distributed 16 cars the beneficiaries of which included the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman of Tsafe Local Government; 600 motorcycles and five tricycles to youths; and disbursed N10,000 to each of 600 youths and women as business startup capital.
The state now waits for any other elected or appointed public servant, or politician, to outdo and outshine the Commissioner of Tourism with his or her community reach-out package.
It is the trend in Zamfara State.
Isa writes from Zamfara
