Women advised to obtain marriage certificate in case of divorce

Elizabeth Mangadi, deputy marriage registrar, Jos north local government council, has advised women on the need to obtain their marriage certificate, in case of divorce.

Mangadi said women needed the certificate to serve as legal documentation of their marriage and safeguard it in the event of a divorce.

According to her, the certificate is a legal document that protects a woman and entitles her to a share of the husband’s property when separation happens.

She noted that women were most vulnerable in cases of divorce and need some form of protection which the certificate represented.

“The certificate serves as one of the guarantees in a marriage that makes the woman a legal part of the man in the marriage and entitles her with the rights of inheritance,” Magadi said.

“Every woman should obtain and keep her certificate of marriage in a safe place.

“Most women just go to the church for their wedding and ignorantly refuse to come to the registry to collect a marriage certificate.”

The deputy marriage registrar said this often leaves the woman vulnerable at such times of a breakup, alleging that most men were not concerned about the plight of the woman immediately after the marriage.

“Some men may go all the length and do anything to discourage their wives from taking them to the registry so that in the event of a divorce, the women will not be entitled to a share of their property legally as a wife,” she said.

She added that the importance of the certificate to the woman could not be over emphasised, saying the registry had mounted a massive awareness campaign to sensitise women in the area to the issue.

Mangadi urged women whose marriages lacked the certificate to talk to their spouses into obtaining one as it would cover the children upon the death of either spouse.