Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari walked his daughter Zahra down the aisle Friday as she exchanged vows with Ahmed Indimi at a wedding ceremony at the Abuja National Mosque. The 22-year-old Zahra, who is the President’s seventh child, is a graduate of the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom and now runs an NGO called ACE that provides free medical care for sickle cell patients. Indimi is a businessman and the son of one of Nigeria’s wealthiest oil magnates.
The wedding ceremony, which was presided over by the deputy chief Imam of the mosque, saw a representative of the bride’s family receive the customary bride price payment of 12 gold coins, valued at $900, from a representative of the groom’s family.
During the lavish reception, President Buhari hosted hundreds of guests, including Guinea’s President, Alpha Conde, at the banquet hall of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Anticipating a possible backlash over what may be considered a brazen display of affluence by the Nigerian public already groaning under the strain of a crippling recession, President Buhari’s media spokesman, Garba Shehu, declared on Twitter that the wedding would be organized at no cost to the general public.
Much as the family wants to make their daughter happy they, however, will not make it a royal wedding.
— Garba Shehu ?? (@GarShehu) December 15, 2016
The President’s family is trying hard to keep it as simple as possible.
— Garba Shehu ?? (@GarShehu) December 15, 2016
In a rare twist, the President asked to be given the bill for the food at the banquet. Government, he said, has no business paying for that.
— Garba Shehu ?? (@GarShehu) December 15, 2016
Zahra’s wedding ceremony was the culmination of a three-day event that kicked off with the Kunshi, the traditional Henna dye pre-wedding party for the bride, her mother, and other female relatives. For the event, Zahra chose a purple Ankara skirt and blouse with a matching headscarf.
The Kunshi was followed by the Kamu, which means “the catching,” a Hausa/Fulani ceremony where the groom’s family seeks permission to see the bride, who is then formally introduced to her in-laws.
Here the bride’s family typically make their new in-laws sweat it out a bit before they are finally allowed to take a peek at the bride.
