Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Yohanna, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, conducted a mass wedding ceremony for 21 couples in Niger State on Sunday, February 16.

The ceremony, which took place at the St. Mark Catholic Church in Nsanji Nkoso, Magama local government area, had in attendance couples who had completed their traditional marriage rites and undergone three months of marriage counselling.

According to Bishop Yohanna, the ceremony was necessary to ensure that the couples were properly married in the eyes of the church.

He emphasized that until a couple is joined together in marriage legally and blessed in the church, it is wrong to cohabit. The bishop encouraged the couples to build their marriages on love and companionship, stressing that marriage is a lifetime commitment.

One of the couples, Mr. and Mrs. Cyprian Uche, expressed their gratitude to the bishop for helping them formalize their union. The couple, who had been cohabiting for 22 years and have five children, said they were excited to finally be officially married. Mrs. Uche noted that she was now eligible to hold positions in the women’s fellowship, which she had been unable to do previously.