Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State has inaugurated a 14-member committee to study the problems of divorcees in the state.
Inaugurating the committee, Dankwambo decried the high rate of divorce in the state and said the committee’s objective was to facilitate marriages between the divorcees and interested suitors.
He said the high rate of divorce was undermining the family unit in the state, adding that the problem necessitated government’s intervention.
“There is no denying the fact that the bedrock of a society is the family unit.
“It is, therefore, a thing of great concern that this sacrosanct unit is today undermined by an incessant high rate of divorce, often on frivolous grounds.
“Considering the serious social and religious implications of broken marriages and the high number of divorcees (known in Hausa as Zawarawa) in our society, government has decided to intervene,” Dankwambo said.
?According to him, government had constituted the committee of eminent persons to examine the whole gamut of the phenomenon and proffer workable solutions.
The governor said the terms of reference of the committee include reviewing the Kano State Zawarawa Committee’s report for a possible adoption by the Gombe government.
Another is to propose the means of attracting Zawarawa and potential suitors to commit to marriage relationships.
“This includes the use of financial and material incentives as well as spiritual and moral counselling,” he said.
The committee is also to suggest how government could be involved in organising the ceremonial dimensions of the marriage of Zawarawa by assigning the agency to co-ordinate the issue, among others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dr Mohammed Usman of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi is the chairman of the committee.
The committee was given two weeks to submit its report to government.