Sept. 27, 2013
Among the women were 5,380 divorcees.
Over 8,000 women on Thursday marched to the Zamfara Hisbah Commission seeking the state government’s assistance to enable them get married.
Led by the Chairperson of the Zamfara Widows Association, Suwaiba Isa, and their patron, Sa’idu Goshe, the women said they were not living a normal life and needed husbands to become whole.
“Many of us cannot afford two meals in a day because there are no men to support us,” they said.
The patron, said the association has over 8,000 women, comprising 5,380 divorcees, 2,200 widows, 1,200 orphans and 80 others, whom he said, were looking for men to marry.
He said the women also needed assistance to purchase household items such as beds, mattresses and other basic necessities needed to move to their husband houses.
Mr. Goshe appealed to the commission to assist the association in screening suitors for the women.
He said the screening would determine the suitor’s health status, source of livelihood and ability to maintain a family.
Responding, the Chairman of the commission, Atiku Zawuyya, commended the association for the initiative, saying it would assist in ridding the society of women of easy virtues.
Mr. Zawuyya promised to present the matter to the state government for necessary action, but urged the patron to also set up a similar body for men to make the pairing exercise easier.
