Federal registries conduct 138,309 marriages in seven years

There are plans by the Federal Government to establish no fewer than 20 additional marriage registries across the country.

This is in addition to the five federal marriage registries recently established in five states of the federation.

These were contained in a document prepared by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, detailing the achievements and plans of the Ministry of Interior.

According to the minister in the document, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, the government desires to have a federal marriage registry in each senatorial zone.

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The minister also said a total of 138,309 marriages had been conducted at its registries in the last seven years.

The document partly read, “We commenced the process of expanding statutory marriage registries across the country. In the period under review, five new federal marriage registries were established in Benin, Kano, Jos, Owerri and Port Harcourt. We are in the process of establishing at least 20 more.

“Our goal is to set up at least one federal marriage registry in each of the senatorial zones where statutory marriages are patronised.

“The objective is to make the statutory marriage process easier and closer to the people who require the services.

“The total number of statutory marriages conducted in the period under review is 138,309, while the total number of places of worship licensed to conduct statutory marriages is 251.”

The minister also said the legal notices in the Marriage Act had been amended, adding that it had settled the disagreement between the FG and local governments.

The document added, “The ‘Legal Notices’ contained in the 2nd Schedule to the Marriage Act have been amended and approved by Mr President and published in the Federal Official Gazette of April 16, 2021, Vol. 108, while the review of other sections of the Marriage Act (MA) is still being processed.

“This is a monumental achievement as marriage registries and federal marriage registries bring to an end the discord between local governments by bringing them into the fold and recognising and authorising them to conduct statutory marriages upon the fulfilment of certain administrative guidelines put in place by the Ministry.”