The 25th couple had just been joined in wedlock at the Ikoyi Marriage Registry at 12:05 pm on Friday. Under the oscillating fans working tirelessly in the main hall, their small group of guests burst into a merry song as the couple completed their vows. But the refrain was only for a moment. The song died midflight as the newlyweds were ushered out in a rain of confetti. The ceremony, which lasted barely seven minutes, was over.

The tempo is always fast at the Ikoyi Registry, managed by the Federal Ministry of Interior. From the filing of intention, to the brief marriage rites, quick fixes are the currency of time at the registry. Here, a marriage can be contracted in as little as 14 or 21 days. As one couple is ushered out of the hall, another groom and his bride step up to the female registrar, even as dozens of other couples take positions inside the ample courtyard, waiting for their brief Kodak moment.

Banter and chit chats often rent the premises as couples either posed for pictures or wait for their turns to take vows on Friday. The gaily-dressed guests were also as colourful as the couples-to-be.

But the brides stood out, garbed in gorgeous gowns of their choices. While the majority opted for the traditional white/cream gowns, a handful was seen in various hues of purple and blue. One couple opted for the indigenous, standing out in the Yoruba traditional attire.

Marriage here is also not the exclusive preserve of Nigerians, as this correspondent spotted two grooms with Caucasian brides.

However, brief, succinct marriages have always been the soul of the Ikoyi Registry. Though the registrar, a tall and fair-complexioned man, declined to talk to our correspondent on Friday, a source in the registry said a minimum of 35 newly-weds beam their way out of the premises each day, with the number peaking between 80 and 100 at Yuletide.

“This is the only registry in sub-Saharan Africa recognised by various embassies. We have certificates from weddings done in 1929 here. Even during the Biafra war, people were joined here.

“Weddings hold here from Wednesdays to Saturdays and the minimum number we conduct each day is 35, while the maximum is between 80 and 100 during the Yuletide,” said the source.

It was also gathered that a marriage licence can be obtained at the Ikoyi Registry in as short as 14 or 21 days, for special and regular marriages. Our correspondent, who had earlier posed as an intending bride, learnt that the fees had just been reviewed from N15,000 and N10,000 to N35,000 and N21,000 for special and regular marriages respectively this July.

(Special marriages are expedited marriages done in 14 days for Nigerians residing abroad with or without a foreigner-partner, while regular marriages are done in 21 days for Nigerians living in Nigeria).

But the payment would have been preceded by the submission of “two passports each of the lady and her spouse, bachelorhood and spinsterhood affidavits and two photocopies of intending couple’s birth certificates,” said the official who added that intending couples were made to take oaths and counselling every Tuesday.

According to the source, oath-taking takes care of the investigative function of the affidavits deposed to by the intending couples.

“We do not investigate whatever documents are submitted to us. That is the purpose of the oath-taking. Tuesdays are dedicated to that purpose, after which we counsel them. Basically, we let them know what the law says about bigamy and the implication if the law is breached,” the source said.

Our correspondent, however, learnt that not all the unions formalised at the registry end in a fairy tale fashion. According to the source, some of the couples are back within weeks, eager to be separated.

“You know, some of them have this erroneous belief that their marriages can be dissolved here, which is not true. When they come here for such reasons, you discover that the issue is mundane. And this is an area we already discussed during counselling. But you can only talk.

“Why do we still have criminals when people go to church in thousands? Some listen, while others don’t. We refer the adamant type to the court. But, I tell you, we cannot have a better nation without better families,” said the source.

As more newlyweds left the hall with big grins on their faces, one question that the source found distasteful was gay marriages and the probability of its acceptance in Nigeria.

“It is against our ethics, culture and beliefs. A man can only be happy with a woman and vice versa. I do not see that cultural export in Nigeria anytime soon, let alone its legalisation. It is close to a taboo,” the source added.

Beyond solemnisation of marriages at the registry, complimentary business which provides daily incomes for some Nigerians has also taken hold. Photocopying and laminating services are available in mini stores within the premises, but there are also catering and entertainment service providers.

Taiwo Akande is one of them. The entertainer said he came for a wedding at the registry in 2010 and noticed that the procedure was colourless and ‘dry.’

“I just saw an opportunity. I noticed that nobody seemed to know which song to sing when the registrar asked for a song after the couple had exchanged vows. I came back and it was the same story. I decided to seize the opportunity because I am a professional entertainer.

“I got my band together and we went creative. This is an office and we cannot afford to be rowdy. We just wait for the wedding to be over and we sing as the couple step out,” he said.

With some years of practice, Akande said he had learnt many tricks of the game. “That is my secret. Once I see the couple and their family members, I am usually able to tell if they are Muslims or Christians. That will determine the songs to sing,” he said.

The same bug bit Oluyemi Ahmed in 2009. Standing outside the hall is a four-tier white dummy cake with blue and yellow decorations. The caterer makes a living persuading couples to pose with the dummy.

“I have been here for five years and I charge N500 per couple. The amount covers whatever number of pictures the couple wants. I noticed that many couples do not bother about cakes, so I am just filling a gap.

“It is not all rosy, though, because not all the couples bother about cakes. If we have 100 couples in a day, maybe 10 or 15 will be interested. Some will even negotiate to N200 and I will be left with no choice,” she said.

Akande also faces a similar treatment in the course of his ‘work.’ “Some see us as beggars. Others would just thrust N500 at you and ask you to stop singing. Some of them who are Jehovah’s witnesses will ask you not to sing church songs.

“But there are also some who appreciate our performance and give us money. There have also been days where we got nothing. However, I get to give some of them my business cards to get referrals,” he added.

http://www.punchng.com/feature/lagos-pulse/at-ikoyi-registry-its-35-marriages-daily/

Some are real, some are arrangee marriage. Any which way, what can we say than to wish them Happy Married Life!

This boy in the pix don marry, abi na another hoax marriage, abi na film he dey act?

But, I tell you, we cannot have a better nation without better families,” said the source.

Well said.

nerodenero:
Well said.

That is the real truth, many of the problems of the society today comes from broken homes

"Some will just thrust N500 at you and ask you to stop singing".


Lolz.