‘Customary marriage not compulsory’- Marriage expert reveals

- The head of Marriage Division of the Registrar General Department has said that customary marriage is not compulsory

- Oladele Kwaku Aribike, said would-be couples can marry without customary marriage

- He said customary marriage was not compulsory because the three forms of marriage are independent of each other

Oladele Kwaku Aribike, head of Marriage Division of the Registrar General Department, has said that would-be couples can marry under the ordinance without necessarily going through customary marriage.

He disclosed that customary marriage is not compulsory, adding that a person can contact customary marriage without ordinance and vice versa.

Oladele Kwaku Aribike, told the Mirror in an interview that while it is significant for a would-be couple to honour their parents and seek their blessings before tying the knot, in situations where parents are being ‘‘unreasonable’, a couple can skip the customary marriage and go ahead with their marriage under ordinance.

The author of Marriage Registration and Divorce in Ghana, Law and Procedure, added that customary marriage was not compulsory because the three forms of marriage including customary marriage, marriage under ordinary and Mohammedan marriage, were independent of each other.

Oladele Kwaku Aribike, said ‘‘the Bible to Bible says we should honour our mother and father so that it will go on well with you in life, it’s the only commandment with a promise. So, if you want to enjoy your marriage, you have to make sure that you give due honour to your parents.’’

However, in the event that your parents are being unreasonable one can go ahead with the ordinance marriage.

Meanwhile, with help from Black Stars and Newcastle midfielder, Christian Atsu, the desire of 17-year-old Abdul Hamid Ibrahim, to further his education to the tertiary level would materialise.

Despite chalking 7As in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate (WASSCE), Ibrahim’s parents cannot afford to pay his university admission fee. His mother, Hajaratu Osman, has invested her savings with one of Ghana’s collapsing banks and cannot afford to foot the bill.

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Source: YEN.com.gh