Abdulamlik Sarkindaji, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, has called off the wedding ceremony for 100 orphan girls slated to occur in his constituency. This decision follows the Women affairs minister, Uju Ohannaya’s legal action against the Speaker to halt the event.
In a media briefing on Tuesday, Sarkindaji stated that the minister had exceeded her authority and suggested that she take charge of sponsoring the wedding instead. He emphasized that funds had already been disbursed to the girls’ parents through traditional leaders and clerics, which he would not retract.
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Clarifying his intentions, Sarkindaji highlighted that his motivation was to alleviate the poverty of the girls’ families, not to fulfill a constituency project as previously reported. He reiterated his stance that the minister should assume responsibility for financing the wedding.
