 The Federal Ministry of Interior has clarified that all marriages conducted by the Iqoi marriage registry are valid. In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry faulted reports that marriage certificates issued at the Iqoi registry are invalid. The Ministry's Permanent Secretary and Principal Registrar on Marriages, Dr Shoaib Bargareh, said in a statement that there are existing court judgments empowering the federal government to conduct marriages by virtue of legal notices issued pursuant to the Marriage Act. He said it is further worthy of note that the issue of formation annulment and other matrimonial causes are by virtue of Item 61 of the First Shadow of the 1999 Constitution. All joining us live to discuss this is Ola Adyoshun, Legal Practitioner, Human Rights Activists. Hello, Mr Adyoshun. Yes, good evening, thank you for having me. Good evening. Well, this issue is up again. Well, the Federal High Court in Lagos had just passed that judgment to nullify all marriages conducted and certificates issued by federal registries, including the almighty Iqoi registry. Now, how is this, what should be, what is it really right now? Unfortunately, I'm yet to see the judgment on that reference, hence I won't be speaking to that judgment, rather I'll be speaking to the issues generally as it has to do with the time of government with the constitutional power to regulate marriages and powers of the local government on issues of marriages. I've seen lots of instances where you put in the media both social and conventional media, wrongly interpret both pronouncements. Hence, I'm always very careful not to form opinion on legal issues based on news reports. I know as a matter of fact that by virtue of the First Shadow of the 1999 Constitution as amended, marriages and matrimonial causes have been placed in the exclusive HDT lists for customary and Islamic marriages. The implication is that only the National Assembly can make rules relating to marriages and matrimonial causes, which includes conduct of marriages, the solution of marriage and so on. Once the marriage is not customary or Islamic marriage, it's also true that the First Shadow to the Constitution places registration of marriages at disposal of local governments. The question to ask at this stage is, can the registration of marriage be the same as regulation and certification of marriages? Can it? Can I view it? Hello? Can it? No, I don't think so. Regulation and certification of marriage is different from registration of marriage. The First Shadow to the Constitution gives the power of registration of bets and debts to the local governments. Now, the local government will only register bets after the parents of that child have given the child name and done everything. All the local government does is to register it, not to perform the function of christening that child. Now, what that means is that it is only the National Assembly that can make laws that can do things pertaining to marriages, with the regulation, the performance of the marriage, and everything relating to marriage. The only job the local government has is to register it. And what does that mean? It is only the federal government, I mean, the federal government registry, under our laws, that has the power to make, I mean, to conduct marriages, as soon to say, as it's been done. It is not the local government, it's not the function. Of course, it is an abnormality in a supposed federal state that Nigeria pretends to be. You know, this is some of the contradictions that we have in our constitution. In a federal state, it's not the business of the federal government to regulate marriages, of any source. But unfortunately, that is our law. And listening to the LNSE card and Annabah, his position with due respect, I disagree with it. The only job the constitution gives to the local government, as far as marriage is concerned, is registration. Now, you won't say because the local government, the constitution says the local government should register beds. So the local government must go ahead to Christian the charge. In fact, the only type of marriages that the constitution gives the local government power over, I mean, that takes away from an exclusive legislative list. Is the culture, I mean, traditional marriages and Islamic marriages. Even that traditional marriage and Islamic marriage, is it the local government that conducts it? The answer is no. It's not the local government that conducts Islamic marriages. It's not the local government that conducts traditional marriages. The only thing they do is when it comes to the solution of marriage, they now go to customer records. Okay, because of time, you know, you've said a lot of things right now and we need to make this very clear to all listening. First of all, the fact that the ministries, that's the Ministry of Interior, that the permanent secretary has come out to make categorically clear that those marriages conducted in Iqoyima registry, for instance, remains valid, means that something was said that was worthy of response. So that takes it away from the realm of speculation. So that brings me to the next, because of time, hold on, because of time, let me just ask you the next. If you read that statement, I've seen the statement of the Ministry of Interior, that statement with due respect is fundamentally flawed and contradictory. In one break they said it is fake. In another break they said it is against previous judgments of the courts. So whoever drafted that statement, I mean, it shows the kind of people leading us at the civil service level. It's unfortunate. That statement is not supposed to come out from that high office. But what I'm saying, I've not said the judgment was passive. What I'm saying is that I don't know the content, so I cannot really speak to the content. Okay, so let's take it as it is right now. Let's take it as it is right now. Let's take it as it is right now. And try to answer the question, which borders on the fate of those with marriage certificates from the federal registries? So what becomes their fate? Let us now assume that there's actually a judgment of court that says all marriages conducted at a federal registry, does not have the rights. The implication is that every marriage conducted at a registry is no land point. That's the implication in law. Except that an appeal against that judgment sets aside that judgment or notifies it. Any marriage conducted is not. However, there's a caveat. In most, you know this is Nigeria, where in most cases many people conducts three type of legal marriages. Some people conducts two types of legal marriages. As far as our law is concerned, we have three non-legal marriages. We have the customary marriage. It is a legal marriage. We have the Islamic marriage. It's a legal marriage. Then we have the statutory marriage, which is conducted in the various registries. We people call it court marriages. Whenever you hear that, I just laugh. Because no court conducts marriage. You can never go and conduct any marriage. But people refer to it as court marriages. Anyway, so these are the three types of legal marriages that we have in the country. So some people, after contracting Islamic marriage, they go ahead to contract traditional marriage. Then they still go to the registry to contract statutory marriage. Now, anybody who conducts their marriage, who conducted their marriages, are that particular registry. And through that, the court has bona fide that the power of the registry to conduct marriage. All of the parties conducted at that registry stand to null and void. However, where we have people who have conducted traditional marriage alongside that marriage, that their traditional marriage stands. Yes, their traditional marriage stands. Because of time again, oftentimes when people go to these courts to do this, in spite of having done the customary, is because they need the certificate for maybe international travels, business documents and all of that. So what is the option for people now? No, the truth is that whatever you need, there's no business transaction in Nigeria that requires your marriage certificate. Some people do it for the sake of whether they want to relocate abroad and the rest of it. Now, I believe bodies abroad too will take precedent, will take note of the fact that these registries will recognize registries as at the time the marriage is took place. I believe international, whatever country they are, wouldn't make any issues out of it seriously. It is only marriages conducted after the judgments if eventually the menstrual material does not appeal that judgment. It's only marriages conducted after the judgments that may have issues with foreign countries where they may want to make use of it. Alright, Mr. Mr. I agree with you that most of these foreign countries prefer marriage certificates for Mikoir registry. Exactly. That's why it is the big deal. It is the big deal. Because they know that it is only a federal registry. Alright. We just have to wrap it up right now. I'm so sorry. Time is not on our side. We have to take all the stories, all the addition, legal practitioner and human rights activists. Thank you so much for your time and insight on this topic.