The marriage of Yusuf Buhari to Zahra Nasir Bayero has turned out to be one of Nigeria’s biggest celebrity events this year in what observers see as ‘presidential wedding.’
Yusuf is the son Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari while Zahra is the daughter of Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, the newly installed Emir of Bichi.
The pair who are of Fulani tribe met at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.
The town of Bichi in the ancient Kano city was aflame with private jets, glamour and glitz.
The runway of the airport in Nigeria’s ancient city of Kano was agog as members of Nigeria’s elite and West African dignitaries flew in for the wedding of the president’s son and the daughter of a prominent religious and traditional leader.
No fewer than 50 private jets revved the airport while hotels in Kano were filled to capacity, according to some residents.
Thousands attended the event at the palace of the Emir of Bichi, a town in Kano state.
Important dignitaries were treated a well-attended wedding ceremony on Friday night.
The festivities which began Friday continued on Saturday, when the bride’s father Nasir Ado Bayero was officially crowned as the Emir of Bichi.
The groom’s family paid N500,000 ($1,200; £900) as the bride price – about 10 times the average amount in northern Nigeria.
The BBC’s Ishaq Khalid in Nigeria says the pre-wedding pictures of the bride caused controversy on social media, with some calling her clothing “immoral” because her shoulders were exposed, while others defended her.
While there are some reports that 100 private jets flew in for the occasion, an airport official told the BBC there were fewer than 50.
Though the festivities were scaled down because of the coronavirus pandemic, many of the guests wore face masks, with Nigeria currently grappling with an upsurge in cases.
There was heavy security at the wedding ceremony, with police and military officers guarding the venue and stationed at nearby strategic locations.
The wedding itself was superintended by Communications Minister Isa Ali Pantami, a qualified imam.
Among important guests were President Muhammadu Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, APC governors, PDP governors, Ministers, top government officials and political juggernauts.
The Gambia’s First Lady Fatoumata Bah Barrow and the former president of neighbouring Niger, Muhammadu Issoufu, were among the foreign guests. (Reports from BBC NEWS)
