JOS — An All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart and businessman, Bashir Abdullahi II, has criticized the Kano State Government over its reported expenditure of more than ₦1.5 billion on a mass wedding program involving 1,500 couples.

Abdullahi described the spending as a “costly misplaced priority”, arguing that the state should devote more resources to education, healthcare, employment and human capital development.

In a statement made available to journalists in Jos on Tuesday, he said supporting vulnerable citizens was a legitimate responsibility of government but questioned whether the reported ₦1.5 billion was the most effective way to achieve lasting social impact.

“There is nothing wrong with supporting vulnerable citizens. There is nothing wrong with helping people who cannot afford the cost of marriage.

“But when government spends ₦1.5 billion on a mass wedding in a state facing major development challenges, citizens are entitled to ask whether that money could have achieved a greater and more lasting impact elsewhere,” he said.

The Kano State Government, however, has defended the program, saying the expenditure covered medical screening, dowries, business grants, furniture, food and other essential items provided to the beneficiaries.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf said each bride received ₦100,000 as dowry and another ₦100,000 as a capital grant, alongside household furniture and other necessities.

The governor described the initiative as one of his administration’s key campaign promises, saying it was designed to support vulnerable residents, strengthen families and promote social stability.

Abdullahi urged the government to look beyond the immediate benefits of the program and consider its long-term economic impact on beneficiaries.

He argued that a one-off intervention could provide immediate relief without addressing the broader economic challenges facing families.

“Marriage comes with responsibilities that last for years. Families need food, housing, healthcare and education for their children.

“A government that wants to fight poverty must therefore think beyond the wedding ceremony and invest in the economic capacity of families to sustain themselves,” he said.

The APC chieftain said the reported ₦1.5 billion could instead have been invested in classroom construction, teacher training, school feeding, healthcare, vocational education and youth employment.

He argued that such investments could deliver benefits to a wider section of the population over a longer period.

“A classroom remains after the ceremony.

“A trained teacher can educate generations of children.

“A young person equipped with a useful skill can earn an income and support a family.

“These are investments that create lasting capacity,” he said.

Abdullahi stressed that his criticism was not directed at marriage or the beneficiaries of the program, but at what he described as the government’s spending priorities.

“This is not an argument against marriage. It is not an argument against helping widows, divorcees or poor families.

“It is an argument about priorities and opportunity cost,” he said.

He called on the Kano State Government to publish details of the expenditure and explain the long-term development outcomes expected from the program.

According to him, the government should disclose how many beneficiaries are expected to become economically independent, the number of businesses to be established and the mechanisms for monitoring the program after the initial assistance.

Abdullahi also urged governments across the North to place greater emphasis on education and human capital development, arguing that poverty could not be sustainably addressed through short-term interventions alone.

He said Kano’s development challenges required sustained investment in schools, teachers, healthcare, skills acquisition, infrastructure and productive employment.

“Government must learn to distinguish between what is politically attractive and what is developmentally necessary.

“A mass wedding may provide a new beginning for individual couples, but a good school can provide a new beginning for an entire generation,” he said.

The Kano State Government said the mass wedding involved 1,500 couples drawn from the state’s 44 local government areas and was coordinated by the Kano State Hisbah Board.

The government also said beneficiaries underwent medical screening and counselling before the ceremonies.

Abdullahi said the program should ultimately be assessed not by the scale of the ceremony but by its long-term impact on the lives of the beneficiaries.

He added that social intervention programs should combine immediate assistance with sustainable livelihood opportunities.

“The real question is not how many weddings government can sponsor.

“The real question is how many lives it can permanently transform,” he said.