Popular Muslim activist, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, on Saturday shunned the wedding reception of his daughter, Dr. Jihad Anjorin (nee Akintola).
Akintola said shunning the wedding reception was a way to discourage “lavish spending.”
The activist, who doubles as the President of the Muslim Rights Concern, explained that two of his daughters had got married without holding a reception.
Despite his absence, though, friends and some members of his family, including his wife, were present at the wedding reception, which held at Alausa, Lagos.
While the husband, Abdulganiy Anjorin, is a lawyer, the wife, Jihad, is a dentist.
It was learnt that the wedding reception had Akintola’s approval, however; as he had earlier held the wedding fatiha for the couple in his home on Friday.
It was learnt that the wedding ceremony, which held in Akintola’s home, had about 24 persons in attendance.
He confirmed that he rejected appeals from friends of his son-in-law that he should honour them with his presence at the reception without spending money to organise it.
He said, “Let me state, ab initio, and for the avoidance of any doubt, that I love my daughter, the lucky bride.
“She is an obedient girl, highly disciplined. She has never been wayward and I have never had cause to reprimand her in any way.
“She is the ideal daughter any father would crave. My son-in-law too, Barrister Anjorin, meets all my dreams of a husband for my daughter.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the walimatan–nikah had my blessing. The nikahproper held inside my house on Friday, with very limited number of guests, strictly 21, apart from the officiating imam.
“I have about three or four reasons for not attending the walimat an-Nikah (wedding) on Saturday. First and foremost, I had wedded two daughters of mine in private fashion and this is my own style.
“Secondly, I launched a struggle against wasteful spending a long time ago. I also made it a duty to publicly articulate strong objections to profligacy, both in public and private spending.
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