Abuja played host to an extraordinary wedding ceremony on Friday, February 6, as Bello Matawalle, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, married off all ten of his children in one historic event.
The ceremony, which took place at the National Mosque, Abuja, featured the wedding fatiha of five sons and five daughters, followed by a lavish reception at a nearby event hall.
Presidential presence and dignitaries
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended the ceremony and formally received the brides on behalf of the Matawalle family, performing the traditional role of Wali.
Also present was the President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, alongside several high-profile Nigerian political figures, including Deputy Senate President Senator Jubril Barau, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Ibrahim Masari, and governors from Sokoto, Jigawa, and Kebbi states.
The couples
The former Zamfara State governor gave away his daughters Maryam, Safiyya, Farida, Nana Firdausi, and Aisha, while his sons Ibrahim, Abdul Jalal, Surajo, Bello, and Fahad were also joined in marriage on the same day.
The ceremony was officiated by Prof. Luqman Zakariyah, who offered prayers for the couples’ successful marriages, as well as blessings for their parents and grandparents.
Public reactions
Following the event, Matawalle took to social media to express gratitude to President Tinubu for acting as Wali during the ceremony.
However, the scale of the celebration sparked mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians questioning the President’s presence at a high-profile wedding while news of a deadly terrorist attack in Kwara State had emerged just hours earlier.
Despite the controversy, the unprecedented nature of the ceremony and the attendance of top dignitaries have made the Matawalle family wedding one of the most talked-about social events in recent Nigerian history.
