Yes they voted for underage girls to be married, so what?? even if they vote for or against underage marriage, young girls must marry. We are in Nigeria where things dont always work constitutionally. I cant marry a girl who is below 20yrs of age, but i dont see anything wrong if someone marries a girl of below 18. Adultery and fornication is very bad in islam, and the best way to protect your self from commiting those sins is by getting married if you have the means,thats what our religion tought us. Lets Stop decieving ourselves, if i go to my village an then married a girl of 16yrs what will happen? Who will punish me for that? A senator married a 13 yr old girl what happened? Was he asked to resign? When goodluck removed fuel subsidy people protested, many lost there lives those that bring the price of PMS bask to 65 naira? This is another waste of time e-warriors. Find something more productive to do.

If they claim to vote in ignorance or errors they should as well revoke their support for it now that they know. Or is the constitution only amendable just to suit their selfish gains?Oya make u na reverse sharp sharp jor!That is how they will wake up one day to vote in support of guy marriage....So annoying leaders.
We are Africans!

nijanigga: Patience Jonathan’s Mother Dies In Auto Crash-PUNCH Newspaper

Mr ninja..r u sure?

Chai..u r very correct! I just read the news..This is a sad one.

I don't blame them-when most of them are only good for saying "NAYs and HIs". They have absolutely nothing in their brains at all.

babagy82: Yes they voted for underage girls to be married, so what?? even if they vote for or against underage marriage, young girls must marry. We are in Nigeria where things dont always work constitutionally. I cant marry a girl who is below 20yrs of age, but i dont see anything wrong if someone marries a girl of below 18. Adultery and fornication is very bad in islam, and the best way to protect your self from commiting those sins is by getting married if you have the means,thats what our religion tought us. Lets Stop decieving ourselves, if i go to my village an then married a girl of 16yrs what will happen? Who will punish me for that? A senator married a 13 yr old girl what happened? Was he asked to resign? When goodluck removed fuel subsidy people protested, many lost there lives those that bring the price of PMS bask to 65 naira? This is another waste of time e-warriors. Find something more productive to do.

This is the kind of mentality and impression our politicians have about us and it has resulted to them taking us for granted. But I can assure you that it won't be long when the Nigerian citizens will bounce back and bring them to their knees.

Wat a shame

Ashiwere eniyan
Awon eranko gbogbo.
Nigeria is in big big trouble with this kind of people in power, shameless lunatics.

Look at what this senator Ayo is paid annually $189,500 USD and yet he voted in error.Is Nigeria real? nope,she is fake.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/report-on-legislators-jumbo-pay-sparks-anger/

Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php/national-news/127856-senator-weeps-apologises-for-backing-child-marriage-law

How I wished such energy used cast and forbid this child marriage issue was also uesd for the ongoing ASUU strike, demand good leadership, to fight corruption, etc.
We leave the important issues and fret over trivial things. perverts like Sin. Yerima won't have been in the senate if we make half as much fuss over who goes to the senate.
Mtcheww

Actually am sick of dis trash, its my choice 2 marry unda age and also giv out my daughter at d age i wish... So pls southerners wat is ur own problem abt my affairs,is she ur own daughter? Ah see wahala.

Read the link below to see how much this senator is taking home as salary.
source: http://www.punchng.com/news/report-on-legislators-jumbo-pay-sparks-anger/

ok oooo... we don hear... NEXT?

you should have know that voting to support that any married woman is of full age is even a disaster

ola_pluto: Well understood Senator. We know those who jump on bandwagon are not the intelligent ones. That Section 29 NEVER mentioned or endorsed child marriage. As long as it serves some emergency activists purpose, they conveniently twisted the whole thing. Stella Damascus even made a video highlighting her misinformation. Many cosmetic activists on twitter, facebook and even here on nairaland needed to get busy, so they picked on Yerima. When they all settle down to digest the bill, I hope the reasonable ones among them will retract and apologize.

That's a totally silly excuse for these politicians to save their ugly faces. Fine! They voted for the renunciation clause to be deleted. However, the premise on which the clause stands, leaves a vague statement that "a woman who's married is deemed of full age." This automatically implies that marrying a minor can't be debated. Why didn't these politicians insist that full age therefore shall be a female of 18years and above? We all did Logic in school, and in law. One rule applies, if it is not explicitly stated, it's considered vague and will always be debated with no resolved. So I guess they are not so intelligent after all.

mannobi: he never realised it until he discovered no southwestern senator voted for it. WHAT A LOW IQ SENATOR. always think before u vote

He did not believe that the list of voters will be made available for the public to find out how they voted.
You can emergine what all these so call leaders do in the house hiddenly and still go away with.

He shouldn't have voted for any motion at al, the good people of ondo state can't beleive u mr senator....

I just pray that they(senators) are doing the right thing without being told. This yerima ideaology can never work here. Nigeria is not a one man or one tribe nation. The northerners should not tell us or command the whole nation as if they are the only one that owns it. Good bye Bad regime...

His face looks like those senators that Sleeps during session and wakes up whenever pple are saying 'AYE'

Don't mind this lion, Liar.

naptu2: The 1979 constitution did not contain provisions for renunciation of citizenship. During constitutional review debates in 1979 Aminu Kano (the leader of the PRP) felt that the age of 18 years used in subsection 4a was an arbitrary western concept of maturity. The legislators in 1979 at the time agreed with the PRP argument and subsection 4b was included.

That section has been in the constitution since then. It reads thus (I've also included subsection 4):

29. (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.

(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.


The constitution is currently being amended and rights groups have called for the deletion of subsection 4b.

You need 2/3rds majority of votes in the senate, house of representatives and 2/3rds of all the state houses of assembly in order to amend the constitution.

2/3rds of the senators present at that time = 73 votes. The senate voted and more than 73 senators voted that 4b should be deleted. The senate moved on to other clauses.

A while later, Senator Yerima raised a point of order that subsection 4b cannot be deleted because deleting it is against islamic law. He stated that in islam, a woman is deemed to be of full age once she has gotten married. The Senate President, David Mark, reminded Yerima that the Senate has a tradition that it does not re-visit a clause once it has been voted on, but Senator Yerima continued to protest.

Eventually the Senate President agreed to hold a second vote. This time 60 senators voted that the subsection should be removed, while 35 voted that it should not be removed. They couldn't get 2/3rds majority.

Section 4b stands.


I wonder why Mark agreed to hold a second vote.


Some have said that the ambiguity in section 4b could lead to the legalisation of marriages of people under the age of 18. However, others argue that it won't because, according to the Child Rights Act, it is illegal to marry anyone below the age of 18. The marriage would be illegal at the time it is being contracted, while section 4b deals with a woman that is already married. But note that the Child Rights Act has only been domesticated in 24 states.

Thanks for the clarification,

naptu2: The 1979 constitution did not contain provisions for renunciation of citizenship. During constitutional review debates in 1979 Aminu Kano (the leader of the PRP) felt that the age of 18 years used in subsection 4a was an arbitrary western concept of maturity. The legislators in 1979 at the time agreed with the PRP argument and subsection 4b was included.

That section has been in the constitution since then. It reads thus (I've also included subsection 4):

29. (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.

(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.


The constitution is currently being amended and rights groups have called for the deletion of subsection 4b.

You need 2/3rds majority of votes in the senate, house of representatives and 2/3rds of all the state houses of assembly in order to amend the constitution.

2/3rds of the senators present at that time = 73 votes. The senate voted and more than 73 senators voted that 4b should be deleted. The senate moved on to other clauses.

A while later, Senator Yerima raised a point of order that subsection 4b cannot be deleted because deleting it is against islamic law. He stated that in islam, a woman is deemed to be of full age once she has gotten married. The Senate President, David Mark, reminded Yerima that the Senate has a tradition that it does not re-visit a clause once it has been voted on, but Senator Yerima continued to protest.

Eventually the Senate President agreed to hold a second vote. This time 60 senators voted that the subsection should be removed, while 35 voted that it should not be removed. They couldn't get 2/3rds majority.

Section 4b stands.


I wonder why Mark agreed to hold a second vote.


Some have said that the ambiguity in section 4b could lead to the legalisation of marriages of people under the age of 18. However, others argue that it won't because, according to the Child Rights Act, it is illegal to marry anyone below the age of 18. The marriage would be illegal at the time it is being contracted, while section 4b deals with a woman that is already married. But note that the Child Rights Act has only been domesticated in 24 states.

Thanks for the clarification,

Dis useless man don dey change mouth again? u are a disgrace to ur family
believe me, dis man ll be one of dos men dat moles they daughters,
A big shame to naija robbers call leaders

Hdz4luv: Actually am sick of dis trash, its my choice 2 marry unda age and also giv out my daughter at d age i wish... So pls southerners wat is ur own problem abt my affairs,is she ur own daughter? Ah see wahala.

PLEASE IGNORE THIS MAN, HE'S PSYCHOPATHIC,

COME WHY DID YOU STOP TAKING YOUR DRUGS NOW?

ola_pluto: Well understood Senator. We know those who jump on bandwagon are not the intelligent ones. That Section 29 NEVER mentioned or endorsed child marriage. As long as it serves some emergency activists purpose, they conveniently twisted the whole thing. Stella Damascus even made a video highlighting her misinformation. Many cosmetic activists on twitter, facebook and even here on nairaland needed to get busy, so they picked on Yerima. When they all settle down to digest the bill, I hope the reasonable ones among them will retract and apologize.

I guess u were feeling like a well informed smartass as u wrote this crap. What u failed 2 understand is that legislations like this one is all about context. Now that it has been accepted in this context, it wouldn't be long before they start arguing to make it legitimate in the context of marriage which is why it wz only northerners, one Edo state paedophile and ur friend above that voted in favour.

P/s: I also suggest that u read Yerima's defence so that u would understand what he had in mind when he called for that vote...

babagy82: Yes they voted for underage girls to be married, so what?? even if they vote for or against underage marriage, young girls must marry. We are in Nigeria where things dont always work constitutionally. I cant marry a girl who is below 20yrs of age, but i dont see anything wrong if someone marries a girl of below 18. Adultery and fornication is very bad in islam, and the best way to protect your self from commiting those sins is by getting married if you have the means,thats what our religion tought us. Lets Stop decieving ourselves, if i go to my village an then married a girl of 16yrs what will happen? Who will punish me for that? A senator married a 13 yr old girl what happened? Was he asked to resign? When goodluck removed fuel subsidy people protested, many lost there lives those that bring the price of PMS bask to 65 naira? This is another waste of time e-warriors. Find something more productive to do.

I'm just so sorry for you...

rockbase360: It is sad to read and watch nigerians protest against a law that hasn't been signed into law yet by President Jonathan. I hope those screaming and yelling understand that the president has the power under the constitution to veto a bill. Those protesting a bill that hasn't been signed into law need to stay clam until the president either veto's the bill or signs it into law

1) There is no new bill.

2) President Jonathan does not have to sign anything.

3) This subsection has been in the constitution since the 1980s.