A lawmaker of the Imo State Assembly, Honorable Kennedy Ibeh, representing Obowo Constituency, has sponsored a bill to regulate the cost of customary marriages in the state.
While presenting the bill during plenary for Second Reading on Wednesday, March 10, Ibeh lamented on some outrageous marriage bills which has caused many single ladies to remain single as suitors can’t afford to pay.
The sponsored bill asks that once a suitor pays and complete the bride price of a woman, a clearance certificate should be issued to the groom by the bride’s father, who will in turn present the certificate to the traditional ruler of the community for the final issuance of Customary Marriage Certificate (CMC) at a cost not exceeding N1,000.
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“A suitor coming to pay for a lady’s dowry may find it tasking to settle for the English wedding which again demands for more expenses.
“It is quite unfortunate that this practice has caused so many of our marriageable ladies to remain single and men apprehensive of taking the bold step. This is wrong and we must discourage it at all costs,” Hon. Ibe said.
The bill adds that no customary marriage in the state including the final stage of the Igbankwu ceremony, shall exceed the sum of N180,000, with exclusion of the bride price which shall not exceed N80,000 too.
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