Contrary to reports that marriages contracted at the Ikoyi Marriage registry are invalid, the Federal Ministry of Interior has clarified that all marriages conducted by the Ikoyi marriage registry are valid and legal.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the ministry debunked stories circulating on social media, that marriage certificates issued at the Ikoyi registry were not valid.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary/Principal Registrar of Marriages, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, in the statement made available to journalists, said there were existing court judgments empowering the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior to conduct marriages, by virtue of Legal Notices issued pursuant to the Marriage Act.
According to Belgore “It is further worthy of note that the issue of formation, annulment and other matrimonial causes are by virtue of Item 61 of the 1st Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria exclusively reserved for the Federal Government.
“The General Public is invited to note that these judgments are all still subsisting, competent, and have not been appealed against till date.”
There had been reports that a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday, ruled that the marriage certificates issued by the Ikoyi Marriage Registry were worthless.
Justice D. E. Osiagor was quoted in many reports as declaring that it was unconstitutional for the Federal Government to conduct marriages.
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