By Mumini Abdulkareem
A consultant pediatrician at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Professor Aishat Gobir has condemned the craze for expensive wedding ceremonies in Ilorin that have little or nothing in connection with the community’s age-long religious tradition.
Gobir, who was speaking to selected newsmen in Ilorin at the weekend, further lamented the moral bankruptcy that has crept into weddings and other social engagements among core Ilorin indigenes, adding that the trend is alien to the culture and religion of the community.
She said, “The first thing is that our wedding is becoming too expensive because we have many traditional things we do. Although we still maintain them but we have added so many other things.
“Secondly, is that plenty of our children now are not modest again and they dress anyhow revealing all their body parts. That is not part of our culture in Ilorin and without comparing; I know there are many churches where before you enter for any wedding, they make sure you are well covered.
“Our children should dress properly and I think it is the responsibility of parents to portray that because being badly dressed does not portray one as having good home training. You go to an Ilorin wedding, I am not talking about strangers but core Ilorin children, they will expose their necks, backs and chests (breasts) in their dressing and some will even remove the hand completely, haba!”
While exonerating the government, Gobir challenged the elites in the community to return to the teachings of the Qur’an and ensure their children live a life of modesty rather than being carried away by western behaviours that has no place in Islam.
“I think the government does not have anything to do but it’s we the elite. Many of those who are not so educated copy us and we should return to the teachings of the Quran and be modest. Our women should cover all what should be covered in their dressing.
“And when it comes to wedding, I don’t think dancing like crazy people to enter the hall is not part of our tradition. Some of those things came in slowly but unfortunately now trying to overtake our culture. Regrettably, they don’t add anything to the wedding, she added.
