His Highness Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, the Emir of Zazzau, has called on parents to discourage excessive spending at weddings. Speaking at the Crystal Muslim Organisation's 20th anniversary celebration in Abuja on Sunday, he urged families to redirect wedding funds toward helping the poor.
The emir expressed concern about lavish makeup and traditional cloth purchases during ceremonies. He noted that millions of naira go toward cosmetics alone when girls get married.
"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," he said. "Or to buy asoebi for half a million Naira, N200,000 or N300,000, which is totally unacceptable as far as I am concerned."
Bamalli lamented Nigeria's economic crisis and the disconnect between wealthy households and struggling communities. Despite widespread hardship, he observed, many affluent families continue splurging on unnecessary luxuries.
He linked this behavior to rising social vices across the nation. "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," the emir noted.
According to him, he refuses to spend money on wedding cosmetics or traditional cloth for relatives. "For me, I have never invested a dime in buying asoebi or cosmetics for girls getting married.
No," he said firmly.
Bamalli stressed that celebrations need not be extravagant. "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," he added.
In his words, reckless wedding spending harms community cohesion and national stability. "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."
Beyond weddings, the emir called for practical skills training in schools. He advocated integrating vocational education into both Western and Islamic curricula nationwide.
Bamalli cited his experience as a Nigerian envoy in Thailand as an example. Young graduates there pursue additional skills training after university completion, he explained.
"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," the emir noted.
Such training would enable citizens to establish small businesses independently. It would also support families without requiring public sector employment, he reasoned.
His message was clear: prioritize community welfare over personal display. Investment in skills and helping the vulnerable matters more than expensive ceremonies.
