The nuptials, spanning over two days, commenced Friday amid tight security at the palace of the Emir of Bichi, the bride’s father, with thousands of well-wishers in attendance.
Fleets of private jets were seen parked on the runway of the Kano airport, sparking outrage among locals on social media.
Days earlier the bride and groom had treated their friends to pre-wedding festivities with a special Polo tournament and the bride turned heads at a ‘Frozen’ themed bridal shower.
Yusuf is President Buhari’s only son. The newlyweds met in the UK where they both studied.
Among prominent Nigerians who attended the opulent ceremony on Saturday were the country’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, and Buhari’s main challenger in the 2019 election Atiku Abubukar.
Popular Islamic cleric, Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, fiercely criticized the show of opulence by the Nigerian ruling class at the wedding.
Health bodies in Nigeria also expressed concern over the mass gathering at the president’s son’s wedding following the recent spike in Covid infections in the country, weeks after the highly contagious Delta variant was detected.
“It was President Buhari who signed the law that made it punishable for anybody not to obey COVID-19 protocols, yet it is the cream of his officials who are not making use of facemasks and are not observing social distancing,” JOHESU’s spokesman, Olumide Akintayo added.
“There is no fixed bride price…people pay varying sums depending on their capacity and social status. Some pay 10,000 or even lower,” Husseini Zakari, a cleric in Zaria, northwestern Kaduna State, told CNN.