By BLESSING OLAIFA, Abuja

The Federal Government at the weekend said 20 new Federal marriage registries would be established across the country to address the shortages of marriage registries.

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this at a national stakeholders’ conference in Abuja.

Aregbesola said efforts were on top gear to have Federal marriage registries in all 36 states of the Federation as a way of bringing the registries closer to the grassroots.

The National Stakeholders’ Conference was on the Administration and Conduct of Statutory Marriage in Nigeria.

The Minister was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore.

According to him, the amended Legal Notices has changed the dynamics of the administration and conduct of statutory marriages.

He said it has also put to rest the lingering disagreement between the Ministry and the Local Government Registrars of Marriage by designating the Local Government Areas and Area Development Councils of the Federal Capital Territory as Marriage Districts.

“The beauty of this arrangement is that it brings the services of this Ministry, via the Marriage Registries, closer to the grassroots, thus reducing the need to travel relatively long distances to get married at a Federal Marriage Registry,” Aregbesola said.

He further said: “Some of these guidelines include: i. that the Ministry of Interior has the sole regulatory responsibility for the issuance of licenses to Public Places of Worship for the conduct of statutory marriages in Nigeria;

“ii. Local Government Councils that have recently been designated as Marriage Districts may now nominate officers as Local Government Registrars of Marriage and must procure Marriage Certificate Booklets from the Ministry of Interior;

“iii. The nomination of Local Government Registrars of Marriage and the Deputies by the Local Government Authorities should be endorsed and registered by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior who is the Principal Registrar of Marriages in Nigeria

” iv. The printing and issuance of Marriage Certificate Booklets to licensed Places of Worship and Marriage Registries is the sole responsibility of the Principal Registrar of Marriages; v. The Ministry of Interior has the sole authority to issue the only valid and legally recognised Certificate of Marriage known as “FORM E,”

“The review has brought the Legal Notices in conformity with the present administrative and political realities in Nigeria today while the amendment of other sections of the Marriage Act is ongoing.” (The Nation)

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