Under-Aged Marriage: Storm In A Tea Cup?

For quite sometime now, it seems the hollier than  thou attitude of most Nigerians has beclouded  the issue of under-aged or minors’ marriage in the country which the Senate has seen as a function of debate.

Infact for many, it is a non- issue for now as serious problems in the polity were begging for attention.

While some think it was a matter of culture and as early marriage was widely practiced in same communities and as such they see nothing wrong with it others                                                         see it as  immoral, barbaric and unconventional given the fact that the need for the education of the girl child has ever than before gained momentum from substantial quarters and should not be over looked,

For example, the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was reported to have said in a recent interview that  such practice was unacceptable.

According to the report the minister said the education of the girl-child and women were very important and should be taken seriously.

To her, “I totally support the empowerment of girls and women. It has shown that one very clear way to move our country out of poverty is to educate your girls and empower them.

She went further to say that when girls and women were educated all other things would fall in place dramatically because a little more knowledge has been added to them.

“So there is no doubt in my mind, letting them go to school is the best for the family. You start with what is good for the nation to what is good for the  globe. It is not a sentiment, the world knows this and our country need not lag behind “she said.

But a political analyst Mr. Sani Lawal Suleiman in his reaction said that it was only hypocrites that believe it was a crime to marry an under-aged girl and call her a wife in one’s house even as he frowned at the same agitators against child marriage who were evasive about abusing and impregnating under-aged girls.

He asks, “which is better, marrying an under-aged girl into your house or abusing her in her parents’ house”.

He maintained that there was no way of stopping early prostitution or child abuse in the country even as he said it was far better to marry the girl as it was almost impossible to stop the illicit trade.

“Those who oppose early marriage are the same people who abuse the open to chant war songs against marrying them” he said.

The fact, according to Suleiman was that it was almost impossible to stop abusing under-aged children  in any part of the world even as he suggested strict.  Laws to guide marriage and serious punishment for abusing them.

But for Miss Joy, a Laboratory Technician, the issue was dependent on the culture and background of a particular people.

According to Joy, in some places you find a lot of teenagers who are made to marry against their will.

“If you want to get something you will have to find a way of getting it because everybody in life wants something and even that girl forced into marriage can eventually make a difference.

“We have seen lots of cases where girls with dreams are forced into early marriages but eventually leave it and turn themselves into testimonies”, she said .

She further explained that experience has shown that some girls don’t even care or strive for anything in life and were always stuck in marriages, even as she enthused that being a full-time house wife was a job on its own.

A gynaecologist, Dr. Nwokoma Eze on his own said, while the issue on ground has gathered much debate, “from the medical point of view, the girl-child deserves education because the girl is the mother of a nation and it reduces the issue of maternal mortality.

“If the girl is educated , she will be able to take care of her- self and will be aware of the best way to bring up her child.

“We in the medical proffesion advocate for a good education for the girl-child because that will help her in the long run and help us prevent maternal mortality which is one of  the Milliminim development Goals (MDGs).

Also in a swift reaction, a legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) has criticized the Senate for voting against the proposed amendment to the constitution which forbids under aged marriage inNigeria.

He has rather urged Nigerians to shun child trafficking.

Olanipekun’s stand stemmed from the Senate’s recent approval of under-aged girls into marriage,  which stands to proscribe the 18 year-old rule for any Nigerian child to qualify for marriage.

Olanipekun, the immediate past Pro-chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI) who  spoke recently when he delivered a lecture at the third series of the Dorcas Oke Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL) tittled: Human Trafficking and the Challenges of the African Child”, held at the Law Lecture Hall of the institution said a girl of 13 would see the Senate’s action as a joke.

“Tell me where it is written in the Holy books that a girl-child should be given in marriage. A girl of 13 would first see it as a child’s play. It is evil. It is a vicious circle that has extended to the embassies”, he said.

While condemning the issuance of visas to children in the various embassies across the world, he said human trafficking was a habitual circle backed by strong cartel.

“We need to ask what happens to a Senator who married a girl of 13? We are compounding our problems if we have outlaws making laws for us and what do you expect for such personalities.

“We have the global conventions which must be adhered to and there should be reciprocity of love between parents and the child” he said.

According to him, there was the need for people to speak to some of the lawmakers even as he said,” I once discussed it with Senate President, David Mark.

The bone of contention, however, is that chapter 3 section 2 a(1) of the Nigerian constitution states that to renounce citizenship one must be of full age.

Subsection 4 goes further to define full age as (a) 18 yrs  and above and (b)  a woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.

The 2013 review seeks to remove the second qualifier before controversial  Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima pointed out the reason for Senate not to do so.

It was based on this development  that Lagos State University lecturer, Professor Ishaq Akintola has criticized the Senate President David Mark for not being resolute on the matter.

According to Akintola, who is also the Director, Muslims Rights Concern (MURIC)  the Senate President showed signs of coercion for  reportedly accusing Senator Sani of blackmailing the Senate to leave the controvercial clause untouched.

He described as unnecessary the criticism that has greeted Islam’s approval of marriage to minors.

According to him, contemptuous cartoons, satirical essays, dirty language and insults have all been used recklessly in recent times to assail Muslims and intimidate lawmakers.

Prof. Akintola further explained that MURIC instead of ‘gagging people’s emotions” has decided to bring some facts about marriage age all over the world to limelight.

“Hear him” In the New Hampshire, United States, legal marriage age is 13 for girls and 14 for boys.

“In Michigan (US) it is 15, but girls can be married below 15 with parental consent.

“In Hawaii and Georgia (US) it  is 15 with parental consent.

“Now let us go outside America, in Britain it is 16, in fact it is 15 in most European countries.

“In Venezuela it is 14 with parental consent, 14 in Paraguay, 14 in Mexico, Bolivia 14 among other,” he stated.

He added that in Mozambique the legal marriage age was 14 and 15 respectively for girls and boys.

In Angola it is 15, Niger 15, Cameroon 15 and Congo DR 15.

“Infact  in most of the countries highlighted the least was 12 years so how do we justify the noise?,  “he queried.

For example Tanzania reportedly adds a more pragmatic approach with the legal marriage age for boys at 14 and girls below 12 can marry for religious reasons, with the provision that the marriage would not be consummated until the girl reaches 12.

Interestingly, according to reports,  in Gambia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Sudan no age limit at all was placed.

From the above it could be seen that Nigeria ranks among the most conservative in this area as marriage for now remains  at 18 under the law.

Therefore, for a country known for politicising any issue the reason still remained to be seen on how this early marriage issue could be a political one for now or in the near future.