The Kano State Hisbah Board has started preparation to ban night wedding parties in the state, a decision that has continued to draw the ire of residents and event centres’ owners.
Hisbah Commander, Sheikh Harun Ibn Sina, who disclosed this plan in a chat with newsmen in Kano, said night parties prevented people from performing the obligatory prayers.
In coming up with a solution to this ‘challenge’, he said the Hisbah would ensure the conduct of wedding parties from morning to afternoon, adding that “by 5pm, all event centres will be closed”.
He said “One of the unpleasant things is that most of the event centres are Shisha joints where some girls, pretending to be part of those attending the ceremonies, engage in social vices,” he said.
However, residents spoken to by Chronicle faulted the Hisbah’s decision.
Ummahani Umar Baba said that the ban was not right because people pray at the event centres.
Hajiya Maryam Aminu, a married woman, said that Hisbah should understand that it was not only parties that took place at night but some wedding ceremonies were also scheduled at the night hours.
“And we do pray at the event centres unless we are in our menstrual period,” she added.
Another resident, Hadiza Hamisu, suggested that the Hisbah officials should go to the event centres and investigate thoroughly not to make judgment based on unfounded information.
On her part, Hajiya Fatima Abubakar Abdullahi of Amneef Event Centre said they had a standing order at their event that “whenever it is time for prayer, the DJ will stop playing music”.
Public Relations Officer of Kano State Event Centres Association, Kamal Masud said that there was a need for the Hisbah to sit with officials of the state’s tourism board and come up with an acceptable decision.
Mas’ud also faulted Hisbah’s claim that event centres were turning to Shisha joints.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
