Abstract
In every community in Nigeria today, the issue of marriage attracts great attention. This is because of the value the society placed on the marriage institution. The society places a compulsory right on any adult who gets married irrespective of one’s status in life. It is also important to note that in as much as many individuals are eager to get into marriage, some are eager to get out of it for one reason or the other. It is for that reason this paper is being written. The researcher adopts the doctrinal method of research. This paper seeks to examine the definition of marriage considering the contemporary trend surrounding marriage, tries to xray the rights and obligations placed on parties in a statutory marriage as provided by the Marriage Act and the Matrimonial Causes Act and also to look at the challenges or pitfalls of some of these rights and obligations and proffer recommendations for a better marriage relationship between couples and those thinking of going into marriage. The paper concludes that rights and obligations of parties to a statutory marriage are sacrosanct and should be applied by both parties.
Authors: M. E. Omagbemi-Ariko
