#ChildNotBride, a hashtag dedicated to fighting anti-child marriage cause, returned to the Internet on
Sunday, as users protested the decision of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, to marry an 18-year-
old Sa’adatu Barkindo-Musdafa.
Many Internet users consider the bride as too young for the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Sa’adatu is the daughter of the Lamido of Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo-Musdafa. A report by an online
media said the marriage between Sanusi and the young lady was contracted in Kano State secretly on
Friday.
But some Internet users, who were not comfortable with the age disparity between the couple, took to
Twitter to protest the marriage.
#ChildNotBride came to limelight two years ago when it was used to draw the attention of the international
community to a new bill aimed at legalising child marriage in Nigeria.
The bill, which stirred up controversy on the Internet, was brought before the National Assembly. The
hashtag, back then, trended widely on Blackberry, Twitter and Facebook. Female rights activists and other
members of the civil society joined the campaign against child marriage, keying into the hashtag to air their
views.
Perhaps, the most popular hashtag used in Nigeria before the creation of #BringBackOurGirls,
#ChildNotBride received a fresh verve at the weekend following Sanusi’s choice of a new wife.
The hashtag started trending on Twitter on Saturday. But as of Sunday evening, it had gone viral on
Instagram, Facebook and even WhatsApp.
Users, however, were dividend on the appropriateness of the hashtag, with some arguing that it was abused
in the case of Sanusi’s youngest wife.
They argued that she was no longer a minor; hence, a platform created to protect child brides should not
have been used for her.
Due to the divided opinions, counter hashtags, such as #GoAndMarry, #BrideNotChild and
#CrushNotHusband, were created in defence of the emir.
Interestingly, #GoAndMarry, going by its wide endorsement, topped the Nigeria’s Twitter trending list on
Sunday. The hashtag was promoted by those who argued that Sa’datu had taken the right decision.
As of Sunday, a number of social media activists had started embedding #ChildNotBride on their profiles –
exactly the same strategy that popularised #BringBackOurGirls – the most widely accepted local hashtag
used for a Nigerian cause.
The buzz created around the #ChildNotBride hashtag, as of Sunday evening, had yet to abate, suggesting
that it may continue to trend in coming days.
Tweeting on the issue, one Nnaemeka Ezeribe said attaining adulthood –18 years – did not imply that a
girl was mature for marriage.
According to Ezeribe, an 18-year-old is only an adult legally but not old enough to handle challenges that
come with marriage.
Ezeribe added, “Even if she must marry, it should be within her age bracket and not getting married to
somebody who is old enough to be her father. That is unfair.”
However, canvassing support for Sanusi, another tweeter, Mukhtar Dotun, said the reason the law permitted
18-year-olds to obtain driver’s licences or voter cards was because they were mature enough to take
crucial life decisions. Such decisions, he said, included marriage.
Dotun asked, “If you consider an 18-year-old too young to marry, what age would you suggest to be the
minimum marriageable age? Since the law allows an 18-year-old, to obtain a driver’s licence and a voter
card, on what assumptions are people making their claims.”
Also tweeting via @dhunnurayn, Abdulkabeer Ishola said those who were castigating the couple were simply
being mischievous.
According to him, #ChildNotBride is most suitable as Sanusi’s wife is no longer a minor.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/i-punch/sanusi-gets-childnotbride-as-wedding-gift/

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