What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

Mixed reactions have greeted the government’s directive to different faiths not to solemnise marriages if the intending couples don’t have the National Identification Number (NIN) that is inscribed on national identity cards.

Pastor Martin Ssempa of Makerere Community Church said the directive makes it difficult for people planning to enter the institution of marriage.

“Entering marriage is a right even availed in our Constitution as long as one is above 18 years of age. This directive is unconstitutional and can be challenged in the courts of law. We should be making it easier for people to get and stay married,” Pastor Ssempa said.

He added: “Not everyone in Uganda is registered with a national ID and also, there is that huge nightmare of replacing a stolen ID. Rather, we should have what we call a valid ID of a person, which is acceptable in court, whether a birth certificate, whatever [document] a person has, we should be able to go with that.”

But the Secretary General of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), Mr Joshua Kitakule, is in harmony with the government’s directive, reasoning that the NIN is very important for officiating unions.

• Read More