Ruqayyah Hamidu Muhammad (PhD)
In Nigeria, lavish weddings have become cultural spectacles, a competition where families try to outdo each other, not necessarily for the joy of marriage, but for status.
There’s a deep-rooted belief that a wedding must be a grand event, even if the families will go into debt, borrow money, or neglect more important responsibilities like; paying rent or securing a stable home for the newlyweds or investing in the future of the marriage or even spending such excess on less fortunate relatives or dependents.
It’s a tragic irony indeed, a society where unemployment, poverty and injustice are widespread, millions are spent on “Instagram weddings” just to trend online or impress invited guests.
These events impress for a day, but often leave the couple or their families in financial ruin. Worse, many of these weddings don’t last long, because the real investment, in the marriage itself, is neglected.
I fail to understand why people fail to ponder on the fact that a wedding is a day (s) event, while a marriage is a whole lifetime.
It’s when you thought you have seen it all…. Last week Katsina state grandly hosted parties. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria attended. So did most of the Nigerian governors, senators, elite political class and dignitaries flew in.
Money squandered, luxury was on display. The powerful gathered not to save lives, but to celebrate one. Because it wasn’t a security briefing to combat terrorism or protect farmers. It wasn’t a relief operation to feed the displaced or support orphaned children. But it was a gathering for the grandest wedding of the year, the wedding of the Katsina State Governor’s daughter.
Perhaps you don’t Katsina, let me paint the real picture of Katsina, it is state located in the Nigeria’s northwest region. The state has been plagued by banditry, kidnappings, and senseless killings. Most of rural parts of the state are struggling with severe insecurity, widespread poverty exacerbated by escalating banditry and food crises.
People live in fear; farmers can’t go to their farms without risking abduction or death. Families are displaced, women widowed, children are out of school, many of them malnourished and psychologically broken. There is hunger, there is trauma, and there is fear.
Yes, that’s Katsina, in the middle of all this, the governor and his fellow leaders thought it fitting to throw a grand wedding. Where is their conscience?
It feels like betrayal. Leaders, elected to serve and protect, now party while their people bleed. This is not just insensitivity it is moral failure. It reflects how out of touch our political class has become.
Love is worth celebrating but not at the cost of responsibility. Let us enjoy weddings but not forget the world around us. Because in the end, a good marriage, a thriving family, and a life of purpose are far more beautiful than any event center or the bridal entourage.
It’s not wrong to celebrate a daughter’s wedding. But timing and sensitivity matter. Leadership demands sacrifice and empathy. A leader who cannot delay luxury while his people suffer has no business in power.
This moment should be a wake-up call for Nigerians. Until leaders are held accountable not just at the ballot box but in public discourse, in civic action, in media this culture of impunity will continue.
To every parent, rich or poor, this is also a call for values. We must stop glorifying extravagance over substance.
Let us build a culture where it is honorable to start small but strong, where helping your neighbor is more respected than hosting a celebrity-studded wedding, where marriages are measured not by the cost of the event, but by the quality of the life that follows.
Muhammad, PhD., is the Executive Director of the Network for Awareness on Socio-economic Rights and Sustainable Development (NASSDEV)
