BY Taiwo Adebulu
Officials of the Federal Marriage Registry, Ikoyi, Lagos state, on Monday, refused to attend to applicants who visited the agency to register for statutory marriage licences.
When TheCable reporter visited the registry in the morning, officials at the entrance turned him and other applicants back, saying the registry can no longer help people with registration. The officials directed the applicants to a signpost that bears the website of the ministry where they can apply for marriage certificates.
“We’re no longer helping anyone to do the registration. It is a new law. That’s the way the registrar wants it. Look at that signpost, copy the website and go do the registration. All information is there. When you are done, bring the printout here. You no longer have access to registry officials for registration except on appointments or wedding ceremonies,” an official told the applicants.
It was also observed that the usual loitering of people around the premises has stopped. Applicants were referred to the online portal and told to leave the facility immediately.
This is coming less than a week after an investigation published by TheCable exposed how some officials of Ikoyi marriage registry, often touted as Nigeria’s most patronised registry, charge prospective couples above the official application fee and divert millions of naira into their personal bank accounts.
In June 2020, the federal government reduced marriage registration fees and implementation began on July 1, 2020. A statutory ordinary marriage, which is between two Nigerians was reduced from N21,000 to N15,000, while the statutory special marriage, which happens when one partner is non-Nigerian, was reduced from N35,000 to N25,000.
Yet, officials of the Ikoyi registry flouted the order and continued to charge exorbitant fees and forced applicants to pay bribes, buy pens and fizzy drinks. Applicants who paid the N15,000 approved fee and opted for the “eCitiBiz” online portal created in 2018 to ease marriage registration and payment were frustrated.
After the publication of the story, more applicants spoke to TheCable on how they were exploited by officials of the registry and made to part with more money after their certificates were withheld. Some took to social media to express their displeasure over the systemic corruption at the federal agency.
This website uses cookies.