The Committee on Mass Wedding in Gombe State has disclosed that the second batch of the 3,000 applicants for the mass wedding in the state has today embarked on their screening exercise.
Alhaji Abdulkadir Abubakar, Publicity Secretary of the Committee and Senior District Head of Gombe, who disclose this in an interview with in Gombe, further said that the committee, which had different sub-committees, was mandated to screen applicants for pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis, among other cases.
He commended the government of Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo for introducing the programme, which was meant to assist the less privileged to get married.
Abubakar further added that the scheme will reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state, saying the committee had consulted traditional rulers and other stakeholders to ensure success of the exercise.
As stated by him spokesman, application forms for the programme had been distributed to 11 local government areas of the state as it was done in the first batch of the initiative.
He said successful applicants would be provided with dowry, foodstuff, clothing, furniture and kitchen utensils.
reports that 720 couples were married out across the state under the first batch of the programme in April. They include 612 Muslim divorcees (Zawarawa), 76 Muslim Spinsters and 32 non-Muslims.