Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has thrown his weight behind the mass marriage practice in the Northern part of Nigeria, which is sponsored by the governments of the region.

The practice sees tonnes of single or widowed women arranged to get married to men who are also single, widowers or polygamists.

This practice has been criticised by other Nigerians, especially Southerners, who think such should not be sponsored by government with taxpayers' money. They also lament that such leads to breeding of children that people can't cater for, thereby creating the Almajiri system, where tonnes of little children roam the streets begging for food.

However, Sheikh Gumi is of a different opinion, describing the sponsorship as good governance.

He wrote on Facebook, "In a Shariah law-driven state, where prostitution, fornication, adultery, and promiscuity are prohibited by both divine and state laws, using public funds to facilitate the marriage of women who are in excess of the available pool of eligible men, or of any young person in dire need of marriage, is a legitimate and responsible component of good governance."

ASA