…As govt, traditional councils, communities wade in
Governments in Eastern Nigeria, which is today called South-East and South-South, have battled rising pride price to no end, all in a determination to bring down spending to marry a wife and also to reduce the volume of unmarried women in society (what people jokingly call unsold).
The battle style of both the South-East and South-South appears alike for the mere reason that both were once under Eastern Region Government. Today, they are in 11 States.
The battle began with the 1956 law called ‘Limitation of Dowry Law of 1956’. This law capped bride price at equivalent of N60. What the ordinary folks knew was £3 (three pounds Sterling) as bride price.
This was pegged when returnees from the Burma war came with huge sums from their discharge payments. Most of them were ‘buying off’ newly married wives by refunding the fathers huge sums. This caused instability in homes in the region, thus need for laws. This was rampant in the present day Imo and Anambra States.
