The Federal Ministry of Interior has insisted that all marriages conducted by the Ikoyi marriage registry are valid and legal.
This was confirmed in a statement on Tuesday, signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary/Principal Registrar of Marriages, Dr. Shuaib Belgore.
Belgore was reacting to reports that marriage certificates issued at the Ikoyi registry were invalid.
He noted that 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.
“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,” Belgore said.