cannonnier:
What matter is she is happy. How many of our christian sisters have grown old waiting for that life partner?
I dear say 70% of christian sister are not married.

Anyway my repliwee doesn't seen to have respect for religion.

How did you get d percentage? Did you carry out any census? Happy nko happy ni.

nora544: please Nigerian let the hole world know what happen in your country because this is against human rights.

please start a campain with www.avaaz.org

Please start there the world will know and the president will have much problems because this law is against girls the next law that they want is that they say every muslim woman must be circumsized.

That is the only way that this law gets known all over the world.

http://www.avaaz.org

please don't wait start it

Thank u ojare. I'm definitely broadcasting this. This travesty must be stop.

Nairaland=info:
I ain't supporting #yerima but dat is his religion.
There are laws and bills supporting marriages of 12yrs old in some states in the US, europe, italy and the vatican city.
The senator used religion to intimidate blackmail and even threatened all the senators including the oppositions...if u are a senator what will u do?

Please show me this law, sorry that is not true and not in europa i know that you are one you want to marry such a little girl

woman have rights and woman are not people from a second class

Uncle Yerima's victory has continued to bring forth more people from the closet. Alhaji Dokubo steps out today.

Of all points for amendment, he is more interested in child's marriage, a confused idle and morally deliquent law maker... God is watching you in 3D

PEDOPHILES ON RAMPAGE!!!!!!!!!!!

NewsRescue- It is not unusual for Nigeria’s media, which consists of many highly unprofessional scripters, to present junk and trash for public consumption. NewsRescue was created among other things, for this very purpose. Cleaning a filthy and propagandist, dangerous media.

Here are the facts of the senate proceedings in question:
The topic voted on in the senate was not, “age of marriage,” as it has been made to appear.
The presentation by senator Yerima, was not, the age a woman should marry.
35 Nigerian senators who voted against the deletion of the segment, did not vote for age of marriage, rather they voted to uphold women’s unaleniable rights, even over men.
Senator Yerima did not introduce any thing new, rather he simply pointed out in upholding Nigeria’s constitution, that segments can not simply be deleted without proper vote and due process.
And finally, underlined: the segment to be deleted threatened to deprive women of their rights.
We proceed to review the section 29 of the constitution that was to be deleted without proper process:
Citizenship renunciation Rights
(1) Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation.
(2) The President shall cause the declaration made under subsection (1) of this section to be registered and upon such registration, the person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of Nigeria.
(3) The President may withhold the registration of any declaration made under subsection (1) of this section if-
(a) the declaration is made during any war in which Nigeria is physically involved; or
(b) in his opinion, it is otherwise contrary to public policy.
(4) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section.
(a) “full age” means the age of eighteen years and above;
(b) any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.
It is immediately seen from the above, that the section deals with conditions under which a Nigerian citizen is considered eligible to make a declaration to revoke his citizenship. “full age” to denounce/revoke/renounce Nigerian citizenship is used in reference to being allowed to make decisions, including this revocation. For both sexes, “full age” is 18 and above, however according to this section of the constitution, a woman is given greater and exclusive rights and authority, being regarded of “full age” to make decisions as serious as the revocation of her citizenship, once she is married.

When we think of what the Nigerian feminist forum created a petition to contest, it is very scary. They acted “hormonally,” without even taking a read of the constitutional segment in discussion. This constitutional permission, actually safe-guards women’s rights by allowing for instance, a married woman or girl, who feels cheated or otherwise deprived by Nigeria, the right to denounce her citizenship. This section is not related to and does not address what age a woman can marry.
NewsRescue-My Thoughts On ‘Child’ Marriage

It simply addresses what age a woman is eligible to make full fledgeling decisions, which of course can include divorce. If this section was deleted, then if for instance a 16 year old is married, she will not be considered “of age,” to challenge the marriage in court, or to revoke her citizenship if she wishes to seek asylum via the United Nations, or to any single citizenship nation. Such married young woman will have to wait and bear the pain till she is 18.

Senator Yerima had pointed out, that in Islam, once a woman is married, she is automatically of age to make all adult life decisions, including the right to divorce, this is as obtains in Nigeria’s constitution. Only the 35 senators listed below, voted to uphold these fundamental women’s rights of age unlimited choice, including the choice to denounce citizenship:

Sadly, it is evident that many of Nigeria’s senators are slightly more than barely literate and the Nigerian press is no better. See error and daft journalism in Punch, AllAfrica, Dailypost, Naij, SaharaReporters, to point out a few irresponsible editorials.

Quoting other sources:

2. CITIZENSHIP
The Section 26 of the 1999 Constitution defines who is a Nigerian citizen and how same may be acquired by naturalization and by registration. The Constitution makes no provision for the process by which non-Nigerian men married to Nigerian women and who are so desirous, may become Nigerian citizens. The silence here has continued to wreck untold hardship on the stability of many marriages.

Furthermore, section 29(4) (b) of the constitution provides for the renunciation of citizenship and thus allows an under aged woman to revoke her citizenship even when she has not attained the age of majority or the constitutional voting age. http://gtdn..com/2010/01/gender-gaps-in-nigeria-constitution.html

Ayo Turton, a US based lawyer explains the same:
Ayo Turton is a USA based lawyer
The clause that is really causing this unnecessary hullabaloo is Section 29 (4) (b). That clause has always been part of our laws, but the Senate moved to remove it as infringing on child’s right by making every married woman an adult. At the taking of the vote for the first time, they got two-third to remove it from the Constitution. But Yerima stood up and whipped up religious sentiment by galvanizing his Muslim brothers who ignorantly believed him into action. When the peace was threatened, David Mark, the Senate President capitulates and asked that the vote be taken again, at this point they were no longer able to garner two-third votes to remove the provision from the Constitution, so it remains.

Now to the legal issue: Section 29 (4) CLEARLY states: “for the purposes of subsection 1″ Section 29 subsection (1) CLEARLY states: “Any citizen of Nigeria of full age WHO WISHES TO RENOUNCE HIS NIGERIAN CITIZENSHIP (emphasis mine) shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation”

This is called “narrow definition” Subsection (1) narrowly defined under what circumstances the definitions stated at clauses (a) and (b) would be applicable. Therefore clauses (a) and (b) of section 29 (4) are only relevant to “renunciation of citizenship” alone. What made this clearer and should leave no one in doubt is the fact that clause 29 (4) (a) re-emphasized that “full age” shall be 18, but if you are already married, for the purposes of renunciation of citizenship you shall be automatically qualified to do so even if you are not 18 yet. Because you are deemed of “full age” for renunciation reason based on the unambiguous definition given by subsection 29 (1) In any case S. 29 (4) (b) is referring to someone already married not about-to-marry.

As a matter of fact, if you ask me, the Constitution as it is, threatens Yerima status than support it.

Posted by Myne Whitman, Romance meets life
Yerima and The Nigerian Senate Did Not Change The Age of Marriage
…In conclusion, it is said that a large number of Nigerians don’t really know the law or their rights, and I think the lawmakers fall into this category. Those who pushed to delete section 29(4)(b) did it on the grounds that it contradicts 29(4)(a) and infringes the right of a child by allowing early marriage. I think otherwise. I believe section 29(4)(b) of the constitution deals with the age of a woman after the fact of marriage, and what rights she has at that time.

http://newsrescue.com/how-nigerias-gutter-media-misconstrued-the-yerima-underage-marriage-senate-proceeding/#axzz2ZbUrz0dG

those making noise about all this are anti islam. ur hatred will consume you............up yarima.......

I think its time we all take our stand for this nation, Nigeria is bigger than any religion,ethic group or persons. Dis sidon look is destroying our nation. These wicked people must be flush out of our system.Let the revolution start now.