A STUDY OF TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE RITE IN OBE TOWN OF NKANU WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE,NIGERIA 1990-2022

ABSTRACT Marriage is a basic institution in every society. Marriage is a union between at least one man and a woman. It is a relation which is culturally accepted and approved by most communities.This study invested the traditional marriage rite of Obe people who reside in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. It has also studied the changes which influenced the institutions of marriage as right by Obe people and identified those changes and the impact they have on the traditional customs of marriage in Obe community. In the course of this work,related literature on Obe culture, economy and politics were intensively reviewed and relevant information and ideas obtained for the research. The data were collected by means of oral interviews by research assistants and books, newspapers, journals, unpublished materials,and internet contents. The study discovered that, high bride price is detrimental to the welfare of the marriage institutions. It tends to be the cause of many ladies not getting married with the attendant evil of prostitution and other known immoral acts plaguing the society. The study concludes that, the changes which have affected traditional marriage among the Obe people have imposed serious economic and social implications on their culture.Though it may not be possible to return to the traditional customs of marriage fully those values identified as desirable should be reinforced for prosperity and sustainability of the people's culture.