Kano spends N1.5bn on mass wedding programme
Adebayo Gbeja
Editor • Aug 10, 2026 • 2 min read
The Kano State Government has spent more than N1.5 billion on its mass wedding programme, known as Auren Gata, Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf has said.
Yusuf disclosed this on Saturday at the Kano Government House during a reception and distribution of furniture and other support items to couples who participated in the programme.
According to him, the expenditure covered medical screening of the couples, payment of dowries, business grants, furniture and food items.
He said each couple received N100,000 as dowry and another N100,000 as a capital grant to enable them to establish small businesses and become self-reliant.
The governor added that the government provided beds, mattresses and other household necessities, as well as food items, to support the couples as they began their married lives.
He explained that all prospective couples underwent medical examinations, marriage counselling and training organised by the Kano State Hisbah Board before the wedding.
Yusuf said the Auren Gata programme was one of the key promises made by his administration during the 2023 election campaign across the state’s 44 local government areas.
He urged the newly married couples to promote peace, mutual respect, patience and understanding in their homes.
The governor also reminded them that marriage was an act of worship and encouraged them to conduct their matrimonial affairs in line with the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
The Chairman of the Northwest Governors’ Forum and Katsina State Governor, Umar Dikko-Radda, commended Yusuf for the initiative, describing it as a programme aimed at improving the welfare and living conditions of Kano residents.
Also speaking, Islamic cleric Sheikh Abdullahi Bala-Lau, represented by Sheikh Kabir Gombe, said the programme could help address insecurity and protests allegedly fuelled by unemployed youths.
The event was attended by Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi, former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and other dignitaries.
