Reduce bride price so Benue men can marry says Gov, Ortoms wife

Wife of the Benue State Governor, Mrs. Eunice Ortom, has called on traditional rulers in the state to discard all the unnecessary charges that have made marriage too expensive for men.

She appealed to Tor Tiv-elect, Prof. James Ayatse, to review bride-prices in Tiv land, to enable young men get married at the right time.

Mrs. Ortom made the plea on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the Tor Tiv-elect in Makurdi, the state capital.

She said, “Such high demands discourage many bachelors from even attempting to get married; the result is that many young girls cannot find husbands.

“Such exorbitant charges were not part of Tiv culture; they were imported; our traditional rulers should discard them.

“Many young men now prefer to elope with their loved ones owing to such huge monetary demands.

“There is need to make the process affordable so as to restore the sanctity of the marriage institution.

Mrs. Ortom said the high demand placed on young men seeking to pick up Tiv ladies as wives was “very discouraging”.

“Bride-price payment is sacrosanct in every marriage, so, parents must guide against selling their daughters especially since the relationship between in-laws remains, long after such marriage rites,” she added.