The Emir of Zazzau, His Highness Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, has advised parents to caution their children against spending lavishly on makeup and aso-ebi during their weddings.
Speaking during the 20th anniversary of Crystal Muslim Organisation (CMO) in Abuja on Sunday, the emir said the money should be used to help the needy or donated to organisations helping the poor.
He lamented that despite the economic hardship in the country, many wealthy families continued to spend lavishly on luxuries while neglecting the needs of the poor, a trend he said was contributing to the rise in social vices.
“You will see our people spending millions of Naira for just cosmetics if a girl is getting married, and because we have some crazy parents that spend up to $10,000 for this makeup they do. Or to buy asoebi for half a million Naira, N200,000 or N300,000, which is totally unacceptable as far as I am concerned.”
“There are so many people on the streets that cannot even feed three square meals in a day. So, this is rampant in our society. But some of us have taken stands. For me, I have never invested a dime in buying asoebi or cosmetics for girls getting married. No. If the mother chooses to do that, that’s her own cup of tea. Or if anybody wants to do it, yes, do it, but I’m not going to invest a dime in that.
“They spend lavishly on parties that are highly unnecessary. I’m not saying that you should not celebrate, but there are things that we have to scale down. We have to tell ourselves the truth. We don’t need such things, given the current situation in the country.
“So, I am appealing to you all to look at things that will make you better, things that will make you independent, and things that will promote unity even within the community. Because if you are living at the highest level and yet all the people around you cannot even feed three square meals, I believe there is a problem, and that is what is exposing us to dangers in our society.”
The emir also called on the need to integrate skills in western and Islamic schools’ curriculum to enable students to be independent after graduation to be able to set up small businesses from what they learn.
“After graduating, you have to learn some skills. And where I served as a Nigerian envoy, that is in Thailand, what do they do? After you have graduated from the university, you have to learn some new skills so that after you have returned home, or you have gotten married, even if your husband decides that he does not want you to go and work in public office, from the comfort of your home, you can use your fingers and generate income for yourself, which will support the family.”
The National Amir of CMO, Alhaji Muhammad Sagir Shettima, said the event was organised to mark its 20 years of existence in propagating Islamic principles and help to the needy.
He added that the event also saw the reward of 12 students who excelled in its essay competition with various sums of prizes doled out.
He urged Muslims to give alms to support the poor, saying the organisation was already providing assistance but needed more support to reach more people.