Nigeria, June 12 -- When it comes to the topic of marriage, Kano State stands out for many reasons. I will cite just two. One, it is where the government sponsors mass weddings, from time to time, more than any other state in the North. Two, it is the divorce capital of Nigeria.

Is there a connection between government-sponsored mass weddings and mass divorce in the state? We can look at it in two ways. It is either the government's intervention in marital affairs fuels the rate of divorce or the government is intervening to reduce the number of divorcees and unmarried people of marriageable age.

Another important question: Is the mass wedding in Kano a state social policy to empower people who are ripe for marriage but do not have th...