How do you see Senate’s vote to encourage teenage marriage in the constitution amendment?

Fri, Jul 26, 2013

By publisher

3 MIN READ

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REACTIONS have continued to trail the ongoing amendment of the 1999 constitution by the Senate that will allow under-aged marriage in the country. The issue has generated a lot of controversy, with many people criticising the Upper Chamber of insensitivity. Below are the positions of some Nigerians on the issue.

Chinedu Abaugo, Social Commentator: Girl child marriage is different from early marriage and it is an evil to be encouraged in our society. A girl that is given out in marriage at the age of nine does not have the mental, physical and biological maturity to face the task of running a home. The implication of this on the society is that we are going to have mothers who are not groomed in womanhood and consequently, produce children who will turn out to be miscreants tomorrow.

Uzoma Oti, Civil Servant:  Well, to me, it’s an enslavement of the girl child. Definitely, this law, if implemented, would no doubt impact negatively on the literacy level of the girl child in the society. To me, the law seems to be an extension of the islamisation of Nigeria by the Muslims.

Gabriel Okwor, Civil Servant: The question you should be asking is whether these senators have children at home? Do they know what it means for a 13-year-old girl to leave her parents and be with a man as a husband? They should not legalise child marriage in this country. We have too many issues already; let’s do what benefits the nation and not what satisfies personal whims and caprices.

David Anari, Businessman: I am against this move by the Senate. Girls should be encouraged to get education, whether formal, informal, nomadic or vocational, before they are betrothed. We should give the girl child her classroom and not a bedroom; give her a bright future and not early marriage. When you train a girl child, you train a whole nation.

James Adebayo, Civil Servant: I am not totally disappointed by the senators. I am only disappointed by people who voted for them. We can now see what our senators are capable of doing. How many of them can allow their children to marry at the age of 12 or 13? It is unheard of. They should not have allowed it to see the light of the day talk less of people debating the issue. Nigerians must stand up against child abuse; they deserve education not marriage at that age. If at a time, a former governor of a state could marry a 13-year old girl, then we should have known that anything goes in this country. We need to stand up now before they vote in favour of same sex bill. It is obvious we need a revolution in this country to stop all this nonsense.

Godwin Otita, Graduate: We need to be careful and know the kind of people we vote into public offices during the 2015 elections. Only God knows the motives of the Senate and whatever it may be, I believe it is not good enough for our country. Probably, it is another strategy to turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation. If this is their intention, they should better know that it is not possible.

Compiled by Anayo Ezugwu 

— Aug. 5, 2013 @ 01:00 GMT