Divorcees and widows say there is a shortage of men
By Ibrahim Dosara in Gusau, Zamfara State
Economic hardship and early and forced marriages are leading to a large number
of divorced women in northern Nigeria.
This appears to be causing concern to the authorities in the region.

They warned that the situation may force them to commit crimes against Sharia
law
Several state governments have gone as far as lowering the dowry price from a
minimum of $1,000 to just $10, so the less fortunate can afford to get married.
Despite this, little progress appears to have been made.
Now a group of divorcees and widows has taken to the streets in Zamfara State to
demonstrate against the lack of husbands.
More than 1,000 divorcees and widows marched round the major streets of the
municipal town of Bungudu to show their anger and annoyance with men with less
than two wives.
The protesters want such men to come to their rescue by marrying them in order
to reduce the number of widows and divorcees roaming about in the towns and
villages of the state.

After going round the major streets the protesters went to the Emir's palace
where they aired their grievances.
They said the Emir should use his influence to persuade men to increase the
number of their wives as part of their contribution to the implementation of
Sharia law in the state.
They warned that the situation may force them to commit crimes against Sharia
law.
The Emir pledged to support their demands.
One of the divorcees I spoke to told me that since she was divorced 11 years
ago. Only two people since then have attempted to marry her but neither were
serious.
She said many men try and deceive women by making promises to marry them but
then change their minds.
A widow told me she lost her husband in a motor accident six years ago and since
then no one has attempted to marry her.
Dowry costs
When Sharia law was introduced in the state the cost of marriage with dowries
was reduced by the government but many women vehemently refused to comply.

A young man in the state capital Gusau told me his inability to marry was due to
economic reasons.
He said men require between $500-$1,000 to marry the woman of their choice and
he was not able to afford that amount of money.
Other men I spoke to told me that they are sceptical of taking so-called
"second-hand" wives for fear of HIV.
Under Islamic law a man is entitled to up to four wives under certain
conditions.
He has to be economically viable, able to provide food, clothing and
accommodation to all his wives and to share his love equally among them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------